Dr Sakeena Ali: An Educator and Lifelong Learner
By Tamim Choudhury
Public Affairs Specialist for Peace Corps
A California native with South Asian ancestry, Dr Sakeena Ali brought a unique perspective to her Peace Corps service in Ukraine from 2004–05. Her parents moved to US from Pakistan, instilling in Ali an enthusiasm for all that life has to offer. She knew that service was a part of her genetic makeup, but didn’t know of the route, before learning about the Peace Corps.
“My parents had no idea of what Peace Corps was all about, so initially it was a hard sell. I told them about the education benefits of service, and that serving abroad would give me opportunities in the future. I had to convince them by presenting all the details and benefits. I explained that just as they had left Pakistan and have helped those in need, I wanted to do the same, leave home and have a new experience in a different country directly working with various communities,” said Ali. “Eventually, my parents also joined me abroad, staying there nearly six months, and being pseudo volunteers in the community. My father still remembers the people I was with, and not only can we reminisce about the community, but he fully knows the community. We ended up all benefitting from the experience being a family service.”
This family experience took place halfway across the world in Ukraine, Europe’s second-largest nation. With its fertile agricultural plains, Ukraine has a large agricultural sector, and many people Ali met outside of her education sphere were farmers. Ali lived and worked in a city in western Ukraine, along the upper Seret River, where educators from villages would come in for training.
“I was a teacher trainer at a recertification institute, where I helped instructors improve their English and teaching skills. My counterpart and I conducted workshops in schools in less accessible towns and villages across Ternopil Oblast. I also gave resume workshops and held American movie nights at the local library,” Ali said. “I once showed a movie about a hip-hop dancer, which eventually led me to teach hip-hop, as I used to be a dancer and loved dancing. I also taught bhangra (folk dance in Punjab region of Pakistan and India), giving me a chance to display my heritage. People wanted me to teach more bhangra classes than hip-hop.”
When Ali walked to the market, Romani kids would see her and begin dancing bhangra in front of her. Puzzled by their behavior, Ali later learned that one of their TV channels was dedicated to Indian movies, so the kids assumed she was like an actor on TV. One day, instead of smiling and walking by, Ali brought a music player and started playing bhangra before the kids and began to dance with them.
“When people are looking at you, they are curious, so teach them something. People treat you like a stranger when you are a stranger, but as soon as you introduce yourself and take the first step, people embrace you, and want to know more about you,” Ali said.
After their dance encounters, Ali got to know the Romani kids as well. A nomadic ethnic group, and Europe’s largest minority, the Romani were permitted to enroll their children in Ukrainian schools for the first time during Ali’s service. However, despite the legislation, Ali noticed that the children weren’t attending school.
“When Romani kids went to sign up for school, they would be stopped. That’s when I spoke to the local school administration, explaining that I was a teacher trainer and noticed that the Romani children weren’t getting an education. I encouraged the school staff to follow the law and let the children into the school. As the school building was right next to my apartment, I could walk the kids there to make sure they got in. I did that for a few weeks, and eventually, no one stopped them,” she said.
Ali is proud to have helped remove barriers to education for the Romanis in her Ukrainian community. Members of the European Parliament have demanded inclusive education and early childhood development for the Romani due to the fact that they have the highest rates of poverty and social exclusion in Europe. Following Ali’s intervention, more Romani schoolchildren enrolled in school in her locality the next year.
Ali treasures the time she spent doing community outreach in the library. “The most fun I had was with the movie classes. The community learned about me, and I learned about them. It sparked a lot of thought-provoking conversations, and got people involved around their communities. The community had three universities and was very open to change; everyone was talking about how to improve themselves. Although many Ukrainians have a different standard of living than people in the US, they want to better themselves,” said Ali.
Biography: A field-based Peace Corps recruiter in the greater Los Angeles area, Dr Sakeena Ali presents Peace Corps opportunities to those who have a passion to serve disadvantaged communities abroad. Additionally, she serves as a staging facilitator, preparing departing Volunteers for an extraordinary two years of service abroad.
About the Peace Corps : The Peace Corps sends Americans with a passion for service abroad on behalf of the United States to work with communities and create lasting change. Volunteers develop sustainable solutions to address challenges in education, health, community economic development, agriculture, environment and youth development. Through their Peace Corps experience, volunteers gain a unique cultural understanding and a life-long commitment to service that positions them to succeed in today's global economy. Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, more than 241,000 Americans of all ages have served in 142 countries worldwide.
( Tamim Choudhury is a Public Affairs Specialist in the Office of Volunteer Recruitment and Selection,
Washington, DC)
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