Sharon resident signs up for more Caribbean relief

Last March Sharon resident Amal Rahman spent his spring break finding out how the other half lives. 

The other half consists of Haitian refugees and local people who live in the Dominican Republic and mostly go without much in the way of health care and regular creature comforts

“It was very eye-opening for me to see the way people are living in that part of the world,” Rahman said.

Describing his experiences as “life-changing”, he commented that seeing it before your own eyes is very different from the glimpses that people get from TV. “You really have to see these things for yourself,” he added

“What strikes you is that is people are suffering from very common diseases for which there are treatments such as vaginal infections and malaria,” Rahman said. 

Part of the problem is that the local government is struggling to treat its own people so the money and resources are not available particularly for refugees.

Rahman, who parents grew up in Bangladesh, is not stranger to these deprivations having visited Bangladesh several times.

So committed to serving this population, the 21 year-old Tufts senior is now heavily engaged in planning the next trip to the area in January.

“I am more involved in the program and work as part of the leadership group that is interviewing candidates and trying to get doctors lined up for our next visit.” The goal is to have a team of 25 students and 5 volunteer doctors.

“We are working our way through a list of 100 or more students who want to go,” Rahman said

The Timmy Foundation organizes the effort. The group works to bring community-based health and educational initiatives to deprived areas around the world.

So, Rahman is asking again that the people of Sharon assist his humanitarian effort by making a donation so that he and his colleagues can buy such basic items as pain medication (e.g. aspirin, Tylenol, ibuprofen), heart burn treatments (e.g. Tums and Rolaids), cold and cough suppressants (e.g. Robitussin); vitamins for adults and children; first aid supplies; and personal hygiene items such as shampoos, soap, toothbrushes, mouth wash, deodorant and lotions.

Children are the main recipients of aid – although the Timmy Foundation works with the whole community – so volunteers like Rahman are also asked to see if they can bring such things as, stickers, markets, coloring books, jump ropes and balls, as well as camping pots and reading glasses. 

Residents can buy some of the medication mentioned above and drop them off at the Rahman family home in Sharon at 43 Harold Street or should anyone want to contribute a monetary donation, they can also be sent to this address but made out to "Tufts Community Union."