Over 100 students from American University of Sharjah (AUS) joined hands in volunteering to renovate the house of an underprivileged family of five. A special ceremony was held to hand over the fully renovated house to its occupants on October 16.

The students took turns working on the project for a week to makeover the Sharjah house, which consisted of four rooms and a backyard. The dedicated student volunteers completed various tasks such as cleaning the tiles and windows, painting and decorating walls, fixing appliances and organizing the whole house.

“Hand in Hand is one of my favorite volunteering activities. It gives me personal satisfaction and a sense of fulfillment because putting in physical effort for someone else has taught me the importance of prioritizing others over myself,” said Maryam Siddiqi, a third year chemical engineering student volunteering on the project.

Prior to the renovation project, student volunteers raised funds through a charity used-book sale and through donation campaigns at AUS which generated enough to fund the renovation project.

“We thank all contributors from the AUS community for supporting the Hand in Hand Project. The renovation project was totally funded from donations received and was completed because of your generosity. Our appreciation to the more than 100 students who volunteered for this project. Thank you for your selfless efforts and for spending your time working hard to make other people’s lives better,” said Dr. Moza Al Shehhi, Dean of Students.