When I joined the iHope Youth Volunteer Program, a part of Indus Yaqeen at Indus Hospital and Health Network (IHHN), I thought I was signing up to observe. I thought I’d just be shadowing doctors and learning about healthcare systems. But what I experienced was something far deeper — something that transformed the way I look at life.
🏥 Where Healing Meets Humanity
From day one, it was clear that this was not just a hospital — it was a place that gave people newfound hope and second chances at life. Seventy students, including myself, were divided into four groups: Rescuers, Helpers, Healers, and Protectors. I was placed in the Rescuers group, and over five days, that name began to carry real meaning.
We toured areas like the prosthetics workshop and blood bank, where we saw how every detail matters — how artificial limbs give people back their independence, and how each drop of donated blood is processed to save lives.
🫂 The True Spirit of Survival
Before meeting patients, we had a session with the psychosocial team — one that taught us how to speak gently, listen fully, and connect with patients not as visitors, but as humans. The conversations with patients stayed with me. They showed me what strength really looks like — not just in survival, but in how people hold on to hope in the hardest circumstances.
🩺 Learning to Save Lives
We also received hands-on training in CPR, the Heimlich maneuver, first aid for dog bites, wounds, and heatstroke, and even fire safety. These weren’t just activities — they were real skills, and learning them made me feel capable of helping in ways I hadn’t imagined before. It felt like we weren’t just students, but were someone’s hope and could literally save a life one day.
🤍 A New Lens on Life
The final day brought everything full circle. I was honored to be selected as one of four students to speak in a panel discussion during the closing ceremony.
This program didn’t just teach me how a hospital runs. It taught me how a life should be lived. Now, I look at zakat and sadaqah differently — not as boxes to tick, but as lifelines. I’ve seen exactly where those donations go, what they become, and who they help. I connected with people. I listened to their stories. And now, when I give, I give with meaning.
Most of all, this program reminded me that even as students, we are not too young to make a difference. We are not too small to bring hope.
I entered Indus as a student.
I left wanting to be a source of change.
