By Joan Tupponce

The Virginia Commonwealth University chapter of the international nonprofit had been established only a month earlier, and it already was participating in the Gift of Sight health mission. The two freshmen were joining other volunteers from Humanity First USA and Humanity First Guatemala to deliver free medical and dental care to underserved communities in the Central American country.

The last-minute trip developed after VCU junior Naeem Ahmad, who serves as a secondary advisor to the campus chapter, learned from the national team that a school had dropped out of the mission.

“I proposed that the VCU chapter take over,” Ahmad said, who is majoring in biology and had joined Humanity First service projects before college. “I worked closely with Faheem to quickly organize the trip details, allowing us to send a few VCU students overseas for spring break.”

Ahmed’s involvement with the humanitarian organization began when he started a chapter in high school. That prompted him to establish the VCU chapter, which he leads as president, and bring Naveed and others into the fold.

Ahmed, Naveed and two other freshman volunteers from VCU – Akil Badvel, a biology major, and Sanjay Munagapati, a health services major – were part of a 30-member team that included physicians and volunteers from the U.S. and Guatemala. (The students worked particularly closely with physicians Rawahuddin Naseem of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Naseer Naseemof Tulane University.)

“We did some fundraising for everything from medical supplies to pharmaceuticals, and we were able to raise $18,700,” said Ahmed, who is majoring in bioinformatics. 

When they arrived in Guatemala, he and Naveed, who both have training as emergency medical technicians, learned they would be taking patient vitals, performing fluoride treatments and assisting in gathering and prescribing medications at the pharmacy, working alongside bilingual interpreters. They also had the opportunity to shadow doctors from multiple specialties to conduct patient assessments and patient evaluations under physician supervision.

“Going in, I didn’t expect we would make such a big impact,” said Naveed, who is majoring in bioinformatics and biology and serves as vice president of the VCU chapter.

In total, 1,680 patients were treated and more than 500 children received fluoride treatments over the course of three clinical days. Sixteen patients were referred for free cataract surgeries as part of Humanity First’s upcoming Gift of Sight mission in May.

Ahmed and Naveed worked in a rural area of Guatemala where they faced language barriers.

“We have limited use of Spanish, and we had to learn certain words,” Ahmed said. “The patients were very emotional, and we were trying to understand what they needed, even though there was a language gap. That showed me that I have to use my own knowledge and skills to help, even if I don’t speak the language.”

In such areas, where formal education is lacking, many patients who were seen didn’t adhere to traditional medicine.

“They relied on hope and the foundation of religion they have there,” Naveed said. “Some had switched their antibiotics for natural teas. It was difficult to explain to them why they need to take the medication prescribed.”

The Humanity First team had to balance patient beliefs with evidence-based reasons for continuing their medications.

“We had to explain to them they could take the herbal teas but to also take our medications as well,” Naveed said.

He and Ahmed worked with children and adults, and a day after Ahmed provided fluoride treatment to a young boy, he returned the next day with his little sister.

“He said his sister deserves to have a strong smile as well,” Ahmed said. “I was able to help not just one but two people in that family. I was able to understand the profound impact of our work.”

Ahmad, the junior who had learned about the Guatemala opportunity, said he enjoyed working with Ahmed and Naveed on the mission trip.

“It has been a genuinely rewarding experience,” he said, noting that he had trained Ahmed and his family through Humanity First’s disaster preparedness program in 2022. “Since then, I’ve watched him grow into the passionate and driven leader he is. He’s always thinking big, constantly coming up with new ideas and finding ways to make each event more impactful than the last.”

Being part of the Gift of Sight mission taught Naveed and Ahmed that despite language barriers, patient education is just as important as the treatment itself.

“Helping patients understand their care, whether through gestures, translation or simple, translatable words, was key to building trust and making a lasting impact,” they said together.