• A Legacy of Helping the Poor

    “When Khalid, Maryam and I returned to Baghdad after  Legacy’s Iraqi Youth Leadership Program, (IYLEP) in US, we decided to start a project that helps poor people in Baghdad.  We looked for students in our schools that have the same interests. We were really surprised to get support from a lot of the students.”

    U.S. Department of StateWritten by  Abdulaziz Alazzawi in collaboration with Khalid Waleed Aboud and Maryam Ali Ghazala

    The IYLEP program is supported by the US Embassy Baghdad and administered by Meridian International in partnership with Legacy International.

    Iraqi Young Leaders help the poor

    Young Iraqi leaders bring aid to poor neighborhoods in Baghdad

    They continue describing their project: “We collected used clothes and contributions from neighbors, friends and family in a 2-week period.  We chose a neighborhood where poverty is really high.  In order to distribute the goods, we have to get permission of police and be escorted.

    Unfortunately distribution points where many people gather to receive charity are often the targets of terrorist groups.   The police were not helpful but one of our cousins recommended we approach the Iraqi army.  The army wants to build up and encourage more civic action. So we made a search for the areas in Baghdad that are under control of the army. We found really poor families living in houses made of mud. Read More

  • Oyster Reef Balls Impact Community

    Sindhu at Sea Turtle Conservation Center, Indonesia

    Sindhu Chidambaram is a high school senior in the Global Ecology Magnet Program at Poolesville High School in Poolesville, MD. Last summer she traveled to Indonesia as a participant in Legacy’s Indonesia-US Youth Leadership Exchange program where she visited several environmental projects, like saving sea turtles and tree reforestation projects, and  eroded beach restoration.

    As a result of her training in the program and during the Global Youth Village environmental workshops, she was able to develop the Oyster Reef Ball Project which directly impacted 165 people, and reached more than 4,000 indirectly. Read More

  • Mentors continue to inspire Moroccan TechGirl

    Safaa Berkani checks out the latest technology at Microsoft in New York City.

    Safaa Berkani checks out the latest technology at Microsoft in NYC

    How does a young Moroccan girl explore technology and develop her interest in the  STEM field?

    Upon the suggestion of her teacher, she applied to attend the TechGirls program administered by Legacy International.

    TechGirls, a U.S. Department of State initiative, is an international exchange program designed to empower young girls to pursue careers in the science and technology sectors.

    “I applied for the program and was chosen to participate. Trust me—it was the most wonderful decision I ever made.” Read More

  • Somaia is passionate about Political Education

    Somaia started her fellowship with a strong desire to learn about the legislative process, and this has driven her to get the most out of her early experiences. Two days into her placement at the office of Congressman Tom Petri (WI – 6), Somaia El Sayed Metwalli of Egypt is getting deeply involved in the workings of her office. She is one of the new arrived Legislative Fellows Program delegates currently placed with Fellowship Mentors in Washington, D.C.

    Somaia is passionate about improving political education in Egypt, and her experiences have already sparked ideas on how to achieve this goal. Read more…

    Somaia has been a great addition to the office, and  they’ve been eager to help her learn about how to ensure effective leadership, says Kevin James, Legislative Assistant to Petri.  Kevin and the office are eager to have her on their team because they value her knowledge on Egypt. They have asked her to present a briefing to the office on current issues in Egypt, and feels that this will be a great contribution to the office.

    The Legislative Fellows Program (LFP) is sponsored by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and administered by Legacy International.


  • Learn and Never stop Learning!

    Lara Kasbari, TechGirls 2012 alum offers wise advice for her fellow youth. She writes for the TechGirls 2013 Blog about her experiences from home in the Palestinian Territories. Read More

  • A Legacy of Hope: Technology Futures for Young Women

    “I used to be an ordinary girl that you would see on the street just like millions of other girls. I was just a normal pupil who attends high school and has good grades. I was a teenager with nothing special about me except for my love of science. But what else? Who am I? This question may have had a simple yes or no answer or no answer at all–but that was before the TechGirls program.” – Amina Chida, Tunisia Read More

  • A Legacy of Leadership: Technology for Girls

    sawsan bulbul techgirl

    TechGirls learn that they can combine technology with leadership skills and bring about sought after change and a new future in their communities.

    “My name is Sawsan Khaled Bulbul and I am a 17-years old TechGirl from Jordan.  I felt like I was flying in the air when I heard I was accepted into the program.

    At first I thought that it would only be about technology but trust me when I say that this experience changed my life. This lifetime experience started three weeks ago and now is about to end. Each girl from the nine different countries represented in the program will go back with her eyes full of tears and a smile printed on her face. Read More

  • U.S. Youth Environmental Activists

    Young U.S. environmental activists create big changes one school at a time!

    Participants  learned how to organize their fellow students, inform and educate their families and communities and initiate change for a “greener” future in Legacy’s Indonesia-US Youth Leadership Program.

    See creative and sustainable Indonesian Environmental projects, also. Read More

  • A Legacy of Sustainability: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

    re3 logo
    Cristophorus was filled with excitement and inspiration from his sojourn in the U.S. during the Indonesia-U.S. Youth Leadership program. He returned to his school SMU Pangudi-Luhur in Indonesia and  implemented a self-designed environmental project. His project, “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (Re3) included submitting proposals to potential donors to gather funds and building an effective volunteer esprit du corps. His group introduced a trash management program with separation bins plus workshops on how to make saleable products from recycled materials. Read More

  • Young environmental activists create change

    Young environmental activists create big changes one school at a time!

    Youth from Indonesia and U.S. learned how to organize their fellow students, inform and educate their families and communities and initiate change for a “greener” future as part of Legacy’s  Indonesia-U.S. Youth Leadership Program.

    See U.S. participants Environmental projects also.  Watch Michelle’s Project U&I documentary video. Read More