Sumaya Zahid is the co-founder and current president of the Spartans for War Victims (SWV) student organization at West Springfield High School. Born out of a deep concern for people suffering from the miseries of war, Sumaya and her older sister Salwa, a 2020 graduate and also a Student Peace Award recipient, started this student-run humanitarian organization two years ago. Sumaya believes that “War tears families apart, makes children orphans, forces millions out of their destroyed homes, and crushes hopes of a brighter future.”
Sumaya’s concern for victims of war is personal, since she is originally from Afghanistan, a country that has been involved in war for more than four decades. During the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, which marked the beginning of the ongoing long and bloody war, her family was among the many who lost close relatives and were forced to flee war and persecution and take refuge in a neighboring country. After visiting Afghanistan with her family, she saw the devastating effects the war had on the people and felt an urge to help make a difference, saying, “After seeing what the average civilians were going through, I knew I couldn’t just sit there. I had to do something to help.”
SWV has two primary goals: providing aid and assistance in the form of materials and money to victims of war and raising awareness among students of the devastating effects of armed conflict. During its first two years, SWV held clothing drives and fundraisers to provide winter clothing, school supplies, food, and other basic necessities to civilians living in war zones around the world. They also hosted awareness workshops where they discussed the current conflicts and their effect on the civilians in war-torn countries.
Along with raising awareness and hosting drives and fundraisers, SWV also hosts an annual cultural day at West Springfield in which the cultures of different countries involved in war are displayed to show a side that is covered up by the ashes of war. The pandemic curtailed many of these activities, and they are currently focusing on the goal of educating others and raising awareness. Sumaya emphasizes the importance of this, saying, “You can’t care about something if you don’t know about it.”
The group has a social media presence on Twitter and Instagram to raise awareness and post weekly interactive quizzes about the effects of the current conflicts around the world. During their online meetings, they share resources and information about how to help raise awareness about war victims’ situations and how to support other international organizations such as Amnesty International, Helping Hands, and UNICEF, whose goals align with those of SWV. Currently, SWV has more than 35 members.
As Sumaya says, “Although we’re not a global organization, I hope SWV, today and in the future, will be the reason a child in a war zone is able to sleep warmly through the winter or have the right materials to attend school in order to build a brighter future.”