by HANA BUSHNAQ 

Most people would find that Palestine and South Carolina have little in common. For Manal Omar, they are both in some ways home. Omar, a Palestinian who grew up in South Carolina and speaks with a trace of a Southern drawl, remains as attached to her American roots as she is to her Palestinian ones. She considers herself an American whose patriotism fuels her desire to assist the disadvantaged, marginalized and overlooked of the world. Omar is the Middle East Manager for Oxfam-Great Britain—part of a network of organizations that comprise one of the largest development NGOs in the world.

The world of global development and humanitarian NGOs is an insular one. Although well-intentioned, some projects lack the requisite cultural, religious and political knowledge necessary for effective interventions— particularly in the Muslim world. At the same time these organizations, such as Oxfam and CARE, are frontline players in the interaction between the people of the Muslim world (not the politicians) and the West. This makes Omar’s inroads into this community that much more important.

For years Omar has been a passionate advocate for change and development, with an eye toward protecting the rights of minorities and women around the world. She established the Women for Women International office in Baghdad during the war and remained there for several months doing what she could to help normalize the chaos around her. With that first-hand knowledge, she speaks of Baghdad as a beautiful “bride widowed on her wedding night.”Her life was on the line, and at times, even she wasn’t sure whether she was making a difference. But she would silence that gnawing whisper inside by a stronger feeling: honor. She was honored to be among Iraqi women, whom she sees as her “sisters.”

Although she speaks of “being caught in a revolving door between hope and despair,” she manages to recharge her spirits and head out for another day, be it at the World Bank, meeting with country directors from Women for Women, or simply on the streets of Baghdad risking her life. One way she recharges is by celebrating International Women’s Day.“No matter what obstacles I have faced, for some odd reason, I always feel optimistic and re-energized on March 8,”she says. She even admits to “falling into the comfortable shadows of denial” as a means of coping to continue her relief work.

She now hopes to focus her efforts in Darfur, another area where politics, money and oil have combined to make life miserable for the people. The effectiveness of her efforts and the efforts of NGOs in general to alleviate suffering and improve the lives of the dispossessed depends on their ability to understand and empathize with the people they help. Omar’s background lends her that ability to understand. We can hope that NGOs find more Manal Omars who can do the same.