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Oman
Mossa Al Lawati `06 joins friends in bringing relief
efforts to cyclone-ravaged Omani coastal villages. |
Mossa Al Lawati `06, describes his efforts
to organize relief for the victims of Hurricane Gonu:
Hurricane Gonu was a horrible experience
for the people of Oman. The storm pounded the eastern coast
of Oman continuously for forty-eight hours, and Omanis were
shocked at the level of devastation in the wake of the cyclone,
especially in downtown Muscat. Hundreds of people died during
the storm; in the aftermath many people were missing and
thousands of families whose homes flooded were living in
schools for shelter. However, the cyclone could not take
away the determination of the Omani people to rebuild Muscat
and the eastern coastal cities of Oman. Following the storm,
ordinary Omanis were seen cleaning the roads, rebuilding
bridges, donating supplies, and distributing relief donations.
Watching these scenes of reconstruction, I was inspired
to get involved and to help the local community where I
live. Once the rains subsided, I organized a group of volunteers
to help a friend move out from building, which was flooded.
After rescuing our friend, the following morning, we met
with a group of volunteers and headed to an area where a
relief organization was collecting donations and distributing
them through the use of 4x4 trucks. For many people in Oman,
access to clean drinking water following the storm was a
major problem. Unfortunately, some businessmen in Muscat
took advantage of the lack of access to clean drinking water
to raise prices on bottled water and were selling bottled
water for ten times the normal price. However, other businessmen
and shop owners were kind and gave us bottled water they
had for free to distribute to those in need. As part of
the relief efforts, Al-Iman school helped us to organize
a campaign to send water to every person in the rural region,
along with basic supplies and financial help. Rural areas
were particularly hard hit during the storm. Boshar Sports
Complex, located nearby, became a shelter for the refugees
and a place to collect and distribute donations. Our group
met with more than 800 refugees that day and talked to each
one of them to make sure that every family received a financial
donation along with basic humanitarian supplies. Our next
plan was to reach several of the costal towns bordering
Muscat. The first place we visited was the city of Amrat
located just outside Muscat. The journey to Amrat , which
normally takes just under twenty minutes, took us seven
hours. Our 4x4 trucks reached the city just before midnight.
Once we arrived to town, a local man helped us to distribute
donations to needy households. I was horrified by the devastation
this town had faced, including a collapsed factory where
people had been trapped inside. May God bless their families.
After Amrat we traveled onto the town of Yitti, and from
there on to Wadi Maih and Tiwy, which was completely under
water and had to be reached by boats. People were extremely
grateful for the financial donations and the water; in some
instances we were the first group of volunteers in the country
to reach them. Our campaign to bring relief supplies to
Muscat and the coastal towns grew in reputation. As word
got around, more people joined us to distribute supplies.
I am very proud of our amazing efforts and our goal to bring
Oman back to life in the wake of the cyclone. I hope Oman
will be more beautiful than ever and that we can keep the
pride in our beautiful nation alive.
Sami Al Asmi `05, graduated from high school
this past November, and is now working as a Project Coordinator
at the Omani Center for Investment Promotion and Export
Development (OCIPED). OCIPED is a government organization
that was founded in June, 1996 by royal decree to increase
the contributions of the Omani private sector businesses
to help foster increased promotion of Omani products for
export to foreign countries. Sami credits the YES program
with helping to make him effective in his job. "The
YES program, and the leadership skills that I developed
while on program, helped to prepare me for the workforce.
The ability to take initiative, show good judgment, communicate
effectively, multi-task, develop good administrative skills
and demonstrate flexibility are all important traits workers
must have in any job. I have worked hard to improve upon
these skills". Sami notes that many his friends wonder
how he got the position at OCIPED without a university degree.
" I credit that to my bilingual language ability, and
the cross-culture experience that I had through the YES
program. The job gives me the ability to take the skills
that I gained on the YES program to a new level. I plan
to enroll in university next year and major in Economics
and Political Science."
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