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Shahalom Rahman’s work focused on the impact of war on women in Iraq |
Cultural awareness ‘is key’
Local student devotes summer to fight against poverty
AID pledged to Iraqi women could be better spent if more was done to understand their culture, according to a young London School of Economics student who has been interning at a leading governmental aid agency.
Shahalom Rahman, 20, from Chalk Farm, spent his summer working at the Department for International Development (DFID), which fights poverty in some of the world’s most deprived countries.
Shahalom’s recent work focused on the impact of the Iraq war on the country’s women.
He said: “Women are more vulnerable to violence than they were under Saddam Hussein, but equally there are a lot of organisations helping them.”
Shahalom believes his Muslim heritage has helped him understand the challenges facing Iraq’s women, and he stresses the need for greater cultural awareness on the part of the aid organisations helping them.
He said: “If we want to help them, we need to adapt to their values and be culturally sensitive – in that way we can have a bigger impact.”
A son of Bangladeshi immigrants who came to Camden in the 1970s, Shahalom is the second youngest of six siblings and has lived in the area all his life.
During his time at the DFID, Shahalom also had the opportunity to meet Shahid Malik MP, the UK’s first Muslim government minister.
Shahalom said: “It was absolutely amazing to meet him.
“I had heard of him before and seen him speak, so to actually meet him was pretty exciting. He is a bit of an inspiration actually.”
However, Shahalom’s biggest source of inspiration has always been his oldest brother, Shaheenur, 30, who runs his own business.
“He’s been a huge encouragement to me and always supported me,” he said. Shahalom is due to complete his undergraduate degree in International Relations and History at LSE next year.
With this summer’s internship under his belt, Shahalom is now “pretty certain” he wants to dedicate his professional life to helping others. |
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