From Refugee to MBA Student :: Why I'm Grateful for Action Against Hunger

Thanksgiving is upon us, and this year, like every year, I am grateful to Action Against Hunger for profoundly shaping my life.

I grew up in Deqan, western Kosovo. In early 1998, my whole world fell apart. War broke out in Kosovo, our house was burned to the ground, and my family fled with only the clothes on our backs. The cease fire of October, 1998 brought humanitarian aid to Kosovo, and that’s when I first encountered Action Against Hunger as they distributed essential items that we desperately needed.

Unfortunately, fighting broke out again in early 1999, and we were ordered to leave Kosovo – to go to Albania and never return. I was running low on hope, when we again encountered Action Against Hunger. As we crossed the border, they were there to give us bread, blankets, and other items essential to our survival. Without their assistance, I can’t even imagine what my family would have done.

When the war ended, I was fortunate enough to finish high school, attend college in the US, and later enroll in the MBA program at Seton Hall. That’s when I learned that Action Against Hunger offered a finance internship for MBA students. I was elated as I wanted to give back and I was thrilled when I was offered the position. I had the pleasure of working in the New York headquarters for four months.

Today, I’m married and working as an analyst for a global cosmetics company. I am so happy with where I am in life, and Action Against Hunger played an important role in getting me where I am. What Action Against Hunger does matters, and I have the experience to prove it. During some of the darkest days of my life – when I was not only hungry and desperate but I had also lost faith in humanity – Action Against Hunger was there to remind me that there are good people in the world who care. The food they gave us fed our bodies, but the hope fed our souls. And I’ll never forget it.