United2Heal volunteers pose after packing the container truck being shipped to Syria.

VCU student group ships supplies to war-torn Syria

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Most people are motivated by good news. For Virginia Commonwealth University senior Abdelrhman (Rooma) Elnasseh it’s the opposite.

An earthquake in Bangladesh.

Disease in Nigeria.

That’s the sort of news that spurs Elnasseh and the organization he leads, United2Heal, to action. The student-led group recently filled a 40-foot container truck with medical supplies, clothes, blankets and hygiene essentials for shipment to Syria. The country is currently experiencing a civil war that, in five years, has left more than 300,000 people dead and 11.2 million — nearly half the population — homeless.

United2Heal was founded at VCU in 2011 by Mohammed Shabaan and currently has about 250 members. Year-round, the organization collects surplus medical supplies and sends them to areas in need around the world. Additionally, if another student organization is doing outreach for a particular country, United2Heal provides supplies for their efforts. In addition to VCU Medical Center, the group gets its supplies from clinics like Patient First and Richmond’s World Pediatric Project.

United2Heal volunteers load items into the container being shipped to Syria.
United2Heal volunteers load items into the container being shipped to Syria.

Elnasseh, a premed student and member of the Honors College, said the group’s continued goal is to fill gaps in global health care.

“We believe that the lack of medical supplies should never restrict someone’s access to proper health care,” he said.

For its latest shipment, the group reached out to the Richmond community, including its religious population. They also partnered with NuDay Syria, a New Hampshire-based organization that works to alleviate humanitarian suffering in Syria.

“We contacted more than 20 churches, mosques and synagogues. We set up collection bins in the [VCU] Student Commons and around residence halls,” Elnasseh said. “We also asked people to spread the message by word of mouth and through social media and got in contact with a few news agencies to cover our story. From there, the clothing and money donations started to flow in. The Islamic Center of Virginia really helped us out with the collection, as well.”

After one month of collecting and packing materials, on Dec. 19, 2016, the 40-foot container truck was driven to Norfolk and loaded on a ship bound for the Turkish-Syrian border. NuDay Syria representatives were then responsible for distributing the items on the ground. The majority of the materials United2Heal collects are sealed and unexpired. The rest are expired by U.S. standards but are still hygienic and useful.

“We save hospitals from getting rid of millions of dollars-worth of medical supplies every year,” Elnasseh said.

United2Heal volunteers stuff a wheel chair and blankets in between the boxes to utilize every inch of space in the container being shipped to Syria.
United2Heal volunteers stuff a wheel chair and blankets in between the boxes to utilize every inch of space in the container being shipped to Syria.

In addition to Syria, United2Heal has coordinated efforts for supply shipments to Haiti, Egypt and Ghana. Their work netted the group awards for Best Service Organization and Best Student Organization of the Year from the university in 2014.

United2Heal operates out of a 3,000-square-foot warehouse space near campus. Though they do not have their next shipment planned, the group collects items throughout the year.

There is more to be done globally for others and by others, Elnasseh said.

“Our hope is that by opening [United2Heal] chapters in universities across the United States, we will create enough collection and redistribution centers to account for excess medical supplies in the country and send them to those who need them the most.” 

 

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