Volunteer Spotlight
Anne Wanjiku Thuku
Anne Wanjiku Thuku is a dedicated volunteer with Refugee Strong and a humanitarian at heart. She plays a key role in coordinating programs across Kenya, supporting the effective delivery of initiatives through strong logistical planning and operational organization. Anne ensures the timely implementation of activities, sources essential materials - including books for community libraries - and works closely with teams to meet program needs on the ground. Driven by a deep commitment to service and community impact, she contributes to expanding access to resources and creating inclusive opportunities for underserved populations.
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Ameena
Ameena is a middle school student in California and has been passionate about bringing refugees' stories to schools since she was 8 years old, when she first picked up When Stars are Scattered. she has run two successful fundraisers to bring Iftars to refugee families during Ramadan. She is driven by the stories of refugee children, and - always - by books. She will tell everyone she meets to read When Stars are Scattered.
Riya
My name is Riya, and when I was in fifth grade, I read Omar’s story in his novel When Stars Are Scattered. After learning about Omar’s nonprofit organization, mentioned at the back of the book, I immediately reached out to him, and we spoke for hours over Zoom. I was deeply moved by the resilience and strength refugees demonstrate in navigating the challenges of their daily lives, and I felt inspired to learn more and do everything I could to help.
On thing that particularly stood out to me was learning that refugee children often play soccer using balls made of rolled-up plastic bags. Upon learning this, with the support of Refugee Strong, we launched Riya’s Soccer Tournament. Every year, over 100,000 children participate in the tournament, receiving soccer balls and jerseys for their teams, and the initiative continues to grow. In 2026, we celebrated our sixth year of the tournament. Seeing the smiles on the players’ faces has been incredibly heartwarming.
I hope to continue expanding our impact on refugee children. Currently, I am helping facilitate the distribution of water filters and Braille machines for the visually impaired, among other projects, and I am honored to serve as an advisor to the director of Refugee Strong.
Lisa
Communications and Website Design Volunteer
Driven by the heart of a humanitarian, I have dedicated my professional career to teaching ESL, welcoming and empowering students from all corners of the globe in my classrooms. While I long harbored a desire to travel abroad to work directly with displaced communities, I recognized that I could make an even deeper, more sustainable impact by anchoring my talents and time to an organization already doing incredible work on the ground.
This realization led me to Refugee Strong and its inspiring founder, Omar Mohamed. Today, I channel my educator’s passion into vital behind-the-scenes support—managing our website, amplifying our mission on social media, and facilitating various projects. By uplifting Omar and my fellow volunteers, I am honored to help ensure Refugee Strong has the digital foundation and operational momentum needed to thrive and empower students in refugee camps.
