Our chapter is one of a handful of college chapters in the country. We seek to be involved in local events and projects as well as larger scale international initiatives. Our aim to have student-body generated ideas to institute across a wide variety of fields and locations. We hope to dream big in executing international projects, while at the same time localizing Humanity First's mission to near
by neighborhoods where a genuine need exists. For more information and specifics on projects and how to get involved, attend a meeting or send us a message! Some of of our many projects include:
Distributing Food to the Underprivileged - Every month, Humanity First goes to a local food bank (Capital Area Food Bank, Emmanuel Food Bank etc) and distributes food to local underprivileged individuals. We provide the transportation and are working with the SGA to create a sustainable method of transport for students to make use of in the many years to come! Water for Life - The northern part of Ghana is a rural area where water scarcity is severe. Besides boreholes, the only sources of water that communities usually have access to are small ponds, hand-dug wells, streams or rivers. The climate is hot and dry. In many communities, people have no choice but to walk several miles one way in order to obtain water for their daily needs such as drinking, cooking, bathing and washing their clothes. In total, there are nearly 5 million people who lack access to improved water sources in Ghana according to the World Bank. Communities in which Humanity First operated had populations ranging from 250 people to more than 2,000. Humanity First aims to bring water to communities where other aspects of human life, such as health, education, and overall socioeconomic status could be greatly improved. We seek to do this because, as we are often told, "water is life." Each well costs approximately $1000 and so far Humanity First has successfully generated money for one well. Fundraising efforts include partnerships with local businesses as well as hosting the Humanity First Basketball Tournament which attracts 25+ teams with 100+ participants. The Bilal School Donation Drive - Humanity First also believes in the power of education to transform for the better. Recently they built an elementary school for children in Mali called the Bilal school and are working on many others. Students that attend this school are lacking basic school supplies that would enhance their education and allow them to take schooling home. Humanity First UMD is working with local businesses to generate donations of school supplies that we send to students of the Bilal school. Awareness Series - With so many problems in the world there is much work to do in solving them. At the same time, it takes an educated effort to correctly recognize and address areas of need. When putting Humanity First, one should strive to know this humanity. At Humanity First UMD, we aspire to educate our student body about a diverse body of issues afflicting the world and do so through our awareness series. In this way, our club meetings themselves become opportunities to provide service to the student body in the form of education. Topics we have covered include the impact of drone strikes on surrounding civilian populations, ebola’s impact on the world, the macro-economics at play behind our currently low gas prices, a history of ISIS and its impact on the world, and many more. Collaborative Efforts - Humanity First UMD believes in the power of collaboration for mutual benefit and greater success. With so many initiatives in progress, Humanity First UMD works with organizations such as Effective Altruism, TUSK, and Red Cross to provide its students opportunities for service in areas where there are already infrastructures in place. These opportunities vary from service in affecting legislation and policy, local education, and donating blood. In addition we are currently working to create an Inter-Organizational Council on Service that will provide a forum of discussion for leaders of service clubs to collaborate and improve their potentials for impact. Service is for humanity and humanity should work together to its end.
