The Power of Volunteering

This winter, AUC graduate students experienced firsthand the ins and outs of giving back on a field visit to the Egyptian Food Bank, where they learned about nonprofit management as well as community welfare and support in the Volunteer Management course taught by Professor Shahjahan Bhuiyan.

At the Egyptian Food Bank, students interacted with senior management, visited the factory and packed food boxes, among other service activities that helped them gain awareness of how ground operations differ from theory. “It gave me a hands-on understanding of managing volunteers and showed me how important it is to communicate clearly and lead with purpose,” said Hind Al-Helaly, a TV and digital journalism master’s student. “It wasn’t just theory; it was about making a real difference,” she added.

Among three guest lectures in the course, one was a presentation by Professor Carmine Bianchi of the University of Palermo on localizing the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Another lecture by a Sawiris Foundation representative covered the prospects and challenges of the volunteer sector in Egypt, while the final lecture discussed community-centered solutions through a visit from the Greenish foundation’s co-founder.

“The course is meant to make students aware of the importance of volunteering and its inherent power to improve the quality of lives,” said Bhuiyan. “The mantra of volunteering is ‘risking lives to serve others,’ thus giving a new meaning to life.”

“It wasn’t just theory; it was about making a real difference.”

That mantra certainly made a mark on Bhuiyan’s students. “The course was both inspiring and transformative,” said Alyiaa Morsy, a public policy master’s student. “The fieldwork taught me the true power of volunteering — how it unites people, drives change and leaves a lasting impact on communities.” 

The Volunteer Management course attracted students from various AUC programs, including public administration, public policy, political science, engineering, journalism and mass communication, TV and digital journalism, and film. 

Omar Darwish, a public administration master’s student, said he would like to continue volunteering in the future. “The course has equipped me with knowledge of volunteering and issues that challenge its management,” he said. “Through field visits, I learned to boost my  performance and achieve effective teamwork and interaction.”

As conflicts, disease, climate change and migration persist, Bhuiyan believes that volunteering will continue to be a vital part of development efforts around the world. “The role of volunteers cannot be overemphasized,” he said.