Moscow, Idaho 
At the University of Idaho [10], Tariq worked with alumnus Jeff Otto to organize a fund raising concert to support Mercy Corps' flood relief operations in Pakistan at the local One-World Café downtown on October 23. The concert was attended by several members of the local community who devoted generously to the cause. “I really appreciate how the people here think globally for humanity” said Tariq.
During the event, Tariq had a brief presentation on the impact of the floods on Pakistan and answered questions from the attendees. “It makes a lot of difference when you tell people real stories about a tragedy” explains Tariq, “Except for a small minority, majority of the people here were not aware of the floods in Pakistan at all.”
Following the concert, Tariq is now working with the International Programs Office to launch a formalized campaign to raise funds for Hidaya Foundation’s flood relief work in Pakistan.
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
At Augustana College [11], with the help from the Dean of Students, Tracy Riddle, Rafi and Sehar organized a bake sale on campus to raise funds for flood victims. “Tracy was extremely helpful. During my meeting with her, she suggested organizing a bake sale on the day of the Viking Parade since they were going to be a lot of people there”, explained Rafi. In order to get contributions, Tracy e-mailed all the faculty and Augustana College alumni to contribute to the bake sale, while Sehar and Rafi spread the word among their friends by setting up posters and fliers on bulletin boards across campus. The response that the campaign received was great. “The night before the parade, we had a lot of baked items!” exclaimed Rafi.
At the bake sale, Sehar and Rafi raised $750. Faculty and friends have continued to contribute to the cause.
Fayetteville, Arkansas
On September 25, the Global UGRAD in Pakistan fellows at the University of Arkansas [12], in collaboration with the International Student Scholars’ Office, the Red Cross Student Organization, the Pakistani Student Group, and the Friends of India organized a fundraiser for Pakistan flood relief on campus. The event [13] raised over $800 initially, and the student groups continue to receive funds for flood relief, bringing the grand total raised to $1375 at the end of October.
Rochester, New York
When the floods hit Pakistan, Anum at Nazareth College [14]was initially overcome by a sense of helplessness. “I told myself that there is nothing much that can be done to alleviate the miseries of my people back home therefore why make myself uncomfortable, why be pushed out of my comfort zone.” But once she heard that a concert, spearheaded by music major Joshua Forget was being held to raise funds for Red Cross’s flood relief operations in Pakistan, she decided to immediately approach the organizers and see how she could help them.
Following her meeting with them, the students decided to put together a short presentation about the floods to raise awareness about the extent of the devastation. “While people here knew about the floods, they were unaware of the massive scale of the devastation,” explained Anum.
The concert was a success and the organizers were able to raise a modest amount of money. But more so than the money, Anum was grateful for all the effort and concern that went into the event, “The concert ultimately left me full of gratitude, and did me good in more than one way!”
While gathering information for the presentation, Anum was able to learn a lot about the disaster herself. “The details and figures that I came across were grim but then what also stood out was the resilience of Pakistani people, their ability to bounce back,” said Anum. “The information I had to go through was certainly depressing but it also had an optimistic feel to it, the spirit of survival was evident in every article I read. The feelings of wariness and anxiety were replaced by that of hope and pride”.