IU Medical Students Collect Books for Afghan Med Schools
INDIANAPOLIS - Indiana University School of Medicine students are bridging
battlefields and cultures to restock libraries and assist medical students
in Afghanistan.
The students are collecting basic science texts, reference books and
educational posters from their fellow students, IU medical faculty and
staff, and other local sources. The material, along with related donations
and contributions, will be distributed to pre-med and medical students
at Faizabad University and Albiruni University in northeastern Afghanistan.
The latter institution was destroyed by the now-deposed Taliban regime.
"An enthusiastic group of students have stepped up to this cause
and are reaching out to their fellow students in Afghanistan," says
Helen Kuo, a second-year student who is helping coordinate the drive.
"We want to help Afghanistan's struggling health-care system - and
from our perspective that begins through the education of future physicians
in that country."
Students at IU School of Medicines other campuses in Evansville, Gary,
South Bend, Muncie, Terre Haute, West Lafayette, Bloomington and Fort
Wayne are joining the effort by coordinating similar drives.
The Indianapolis students, with the help of Ahmed Athar, first-year medical
student and a member of the Muslim Students Association at the Indiana
University-Purdue University Indianapolis, are working with Islamic leaders
and others in their community.
"It is inspiring to see how many people have come together to help
those in need," says Athar. "To me, our efforts ascend the barriers
of culture and religion by appealing to the basic concept of sharing amongst
fellow humans."
IU School of Medicine students also are seeking donations from local bookstores and national medical publishing companies. Monetary donations also are being accepted to help defray the costs of shipping, which Kuo says will occur in mid-to-late April.
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Media Contact: Joe Stuteville
317-274-7722
jstutevi@iupui.edu
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