Meghan Arshad celebrated the end of her six-month commitment through World Relief’s Cultural Partnership Team (CPT) program on Saturday, March 13th.
With the help of her husband, father-in-law, and 2 year old daughter, she has been working with the Po Eh Doh family to help transition to life in the Quad Cities. Before arriving in the Quad Cities, Po and his wife, along with their three children, lived in a refugee camp in Burma for 15 years.
While there are many ways to volunteer with World Relief, Meghan enjoys working with families directly because she’s able to see an immediate impact. During the Christmas season, Meghan and her family brought over a Christmas tree, presents and a cake. Unknown to them, it was also the eldest daughter’s birthday. With the pandemic and other hurdles in mind, the three kids have struggled to adjust to American schools and make friends.
Meghan is so touched that such a small gesture of kindness could impact an entire family so deeply.
After spending multiple days a week together for six months, Meghan and her family have developed a close and trusted friendship with the Po Eh Doh family. They plan on continuing to work with the family even beyond their six months together, and hope to be partnered with another family in the future.
Meghan’s advice to anyone seeking to volunteer with World Relief is to “volunteer on the basis that you can give.” She recommends everyone try a few volunteer opportunities until finding one that fits best.
For more information about our CPT Program, contact Julie Hornbuckle at jhornbuckle@wr.org. Or, click on “Get Involved” to submit a volunteer application.
Written by Olivia Smith