How SNHU Kakuma student Joseph led his community’s COVID response.
Joseph, a SNHU student studying for his B.A. in Management while living in the Kakuma refugee camps, has a natural passion for supporting and empowering people in his community.
When the COVID-19 pandemic first began spreading, he knew his community would be severely impacted since many families were not able to afford the face masks necessary to protect themselves and others. Joseph knew that if he waited for outside help, there was a possibility that it would never come.
To look after Kakuma residents, Joseph teamed up with a local fashion designer to create free face masks for camp residents. Today, Joseph has distributed more than 6,000 face masks to members of his community.
“Community intervention matters a lot,” he said. “We were able to respond to [the pandemic] with free masks because we knew exactly what was happening in the community.”
After graduation, Joseph plans to continue to pursue his education while working. But for him, supporting his community will always be a priority.
“I want to continue supporting my community,” he said. “In terms of giving back, I’m hoping to offer an opportunity to youth to learn music.”
