During my childhood in Ethiopia, I witnessed how well-intentioned aid could sometimes fail the most vulnerable. My project called Ethical Protection & Empowerment wants to fill a big gap in social impact work by clearing the way for the students who work with the people at the margins. Often, people come to volunteering, service-learning, or research with great enthusiasm but without the skills needed for their actions to be respectful and ethical, and not to cause harm.
The project indirectly supports Sustainable Development Goal 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions) by the establishment of a culture of ethical engagement. The major objective is to provide students at NYU Abu Dhabi with an initial toolkit through interactive workshops. These classes are dealing with the most important issues such as power relations, prevention of inadvertent harm, and building trust together with the principles of protection, based on UNHCR training. Through the preparation of future leaders, we intend to turn good intentions into responsible, impactful actions that will indeed treat communities with dignity.