Milton teenager’s volunteer group collecting donations to help Afghan refugees

A Milton teenager who started a volunteer group has been collecting donations to help Afghan refugees arriving in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

The volunteer group, called Youth in Action, was started by Somayah Zalmai, a 15-year-old student at Craig Kielburger Secondary School in Milton, in hopes of providing newcomers access to financial aid, social support, education and employment opportunities.

“Our organization started as a collection of toiletry donations to help the Afghan refugees. It was my dad’s idea to start something to help the Afghans in need,” Zalmai told insauga.

“The situation in Afghanistan hit us really hard. I wanted to do something to help my people, but as a girl on the opposite side of the world, I was powerless. Then, I came up with the idea to help the refugees. Now we provide employment support, education and help them with their basic needs.”

According to Zalmai, with the help of her team members, Sahr and Huda Wali, the organization has put together over 300 care packages for newcomers that contain toiletries such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, nail clippers, hairbrushes and lotion.

The group has also created a GoFundMe page to collect donations for newcomers in Canada where people may donate other essential needs such as diapers, baby formula, school supplies, clothes and snacks.

For more information on the organization, visit their Instagram page.

Photo courtesy of Somayah Zalmai