CCI Alum Provides Tangible Assistance, Community Ed. in His Homeland of India

Last month, we saw the first installment of our International Alumni Affecting Change Worldwide. The Office of International Education and Sponsored Programs will continue sharing the uplifting success stories of NOVA’s international students after they have returned home to their countries. We are proud to have these unique individuals affecting change and representing NOVA in all corners of the world.

Shuvajit (Shuv) Saha completed Media Studies at the Alexandria Campus as part of the 2017-2018 Community College Initiative (CCI) Program. Since his return to his native India, Shuv launched a community project in Sadhna, Kolkata called Human Ambulance.

Volunteers arrange ambulance service for patients or, more often, a car ride as ambulance service is often not available. A volunteer may even go with the patient to the hospital to help them navigate their way through a confusing system. Shuv’s goal is to acquire at least one ambulance so they can provide free or low-cost transportation for only the price of gas. 

Another important aspect of Human Ambulance is community education. The project is volunteer-led and organizes community workshops to promote awareness about local medical resources, educate underserved populations about basic emergency responses and create a community-led support network for those in need. In the past weeks, Shuv and his team of volunteers have mobilized to spread awareness about COVID-19 and counter misinformation and myths about the virus. The workshops have emphasized the importance of washing hands frequently and coughing into the elbow. By reaching out to the local community to provide facts and practical preparedness measures, CCI alumni demonstrate their efforts to help global communities respond to the COVID-19 health crisis.

Volunteerism is a major component of the CCI Program, and many international students participate enthusiastically while they are here. Shuv was no exception. He developed a habit of volunteering to help people within the NOVA community and took his newfound love for civic engagement back home to India.

“Volunteering without having any hidden agenda or profit is not [a] concept here,” Shuv says. He saw a need for accessibility to medical services, typically provided by government hospitals, which are often overwhelmed and underfunded.  The volunteers who provide these services are, in return, offered English courses and pertinent professional development opportunities.

“I am doing something which give[s] me happiness and blessing together,” says Shuv. He’s not sure what the future brings, but this endeavor has been rewarding and challenging.

He goes on, “I have never seen something like [the] American education system and NOVA [and] the enthusiasm and diversity this college spreads.” While Shuv did not immediately understand how he had been transformed by his experience in the United States, he quickly saw his improved skills, which led him to begin the Human Ambulance initiative.

For more on NOVA Office of International Education and Sponsored Programs, click Here. For more on the CCI Program, in coordination with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Cultural Exchange, click Here.