The International Humanitarian Foundation is actively seeking student volunteers interested in developing working partnerships with grassroots organizations in impoverished areas across the globe.
Founded last January by David Morse '03, Kathleen Reeder '03, Amish Parashar '03 and Harvard graduate Jesse Rokicki, IHF is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for individuals and their communities. IHF has established relationships with several grassroots organizations in Costa Rica and one organization in India. The group is in the process of developing a partnership in Jamaica.
"Broadly we are interested in the medical, technological, and developmental resources we can bring to the work of very dedicated individuals and organizations around the world," Parashar said. Parashar is the current President and Chief Executive Officer of the IHF. He is also the President of the Board of Directors.
IHF differs from other non-government organizations by primarily appealing to college students.
"We are looking to do this through student volunteers from universities and colleges like Dartmouth," Morse said.
IHF has been active on the Dartmouth campus since last Fall and works with a base of 40 campus volunteers. The organization has a total of 175 members. IHF has also attracted a number of volunteers from the University of Vermont.
Trevor Jensen '05 is currently in Southern India on a Tucker Fellowship working on an IHF project. The open stoves commonly used in one room homes in that region perpetuate indoor air pollution, declared one of the top five public health threats by the World Health Organization. Jensen is looking into the design and function of the practical stoves in an effort to develop a safe and effective closed alternative.
A team of Dartmouth volunteers is supporting Jensen from campus by researching the technical, medical and sociological effects of the stoves and the epidemic.
Organization leaders are confident that the student volunteer base will remain strong. "I anticipate our organization, now and in the long term, will have many more projects, ideas, volunteer opportunities, and ways to make a positive difference," Parashar said.
Morse said the interaction IHF fosters between student and local activists can produce real results.
"It is about empowering grassroots organizations on both ends of the spectrum by trusting in the people and their desire to make a difference," Morse said. "We trust that local actors can make a difference."
While IHF has established a working relationship with the Tucker Foundation, it is not officially affiliated with the college. "We are actively seeking to create a formal relationship with the college," Morse said.
