TULSA -- A group of Iraqi students spent the morning in Tulsa, working to improve the refugee crisis across the world.
The Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma hosted the high schoolers and taught them the importance of food poverty and how they can make a difference.
Cans, jars and boxes are a common sight at the food bank. The issue of hunger is tackled on a daily basis, but on Thursday, it wasn’t just Oklahoman's who will benefitted.
“For a lot of people around the world, they still think of America as kind of a golden country where everybody is taken care of,” Greg Raskin, communications manager for the community food bank said. “And it's important for them to realize there's hungry and people in poverty the United States that also need help."
Armani Ramadan, along with other Iraqi students in the Young Leaders Exchange Program, walked into the food bank with one mission… to make a difference.
“I want to make a change in my community, because we need to progress and go forward,” Ramadan said. “And I think that we are the future generation that will be able to do that."
Ramadan is from the Kurdistan region of Iraq. She said where she lives is safe, but there are big issues at hand.
“We’re having many issues, like refugee issues and stuff with ISIS being around,” Ramadan said.
Her focus is on refugees and internally displaced persons. She'll take what she learns at the food bank and bring it back to her country, in hopes to build a better tomorrow.
“If we don't help them, who would help them?” Hussein Hadi, another Iraqi student said.
Hadi, from southern Iraq, dreams of becoming a doctor and opening a free health clinic to serve the many refugees living in his city.
“There's a lot of poor people in Iraq but they don't get much care as they need it, so I want to volunteer and try my best for them,” Hadi said.
The student’s are hoping to gain knowledge through the program and through the food bank. All while feeding the hungry, and solving an international crisis.
The program also includes students from Oregon, Illinois and Vermont. Program leaders said the students represent the best the world has to offer and hope for a better future.
