Allaedin Ezzedin

Fieldwork in Libya wasn't easy. Society's hesitation towards social work was a challenge, and it made it difficult to build trust.

My name is Allaedin Ezzedin, and I am a founding member of the Rawahil Foundation.

I grew up in a home where talking about rights and justice was as common as the clatter of spoons over lunch. In 1998, my father was arrested for his activism for change. That was a turning point that showed me that standing up for what’s right can cost you your freedom. Since that incident, we moved to the United States, where I found myself at the heart of civic action.

In my first year of college in California, I joined the student union out of curiosity, but it wasn't just a passing experience, but rather a medium through which I practiced what I had learned from my father. Volunteer campaigns and community work became a reflection of me.

In 2010, I visited Libya for the first time after a 12-year absence. At the time, I recognized Libya's need for a youth-focused educational space that aspired to create individuals who would contribute to society. I decided to create an organization, and from there arose the idea of the Rawahil Foundation. However, the situation in the country wasn’t suitable for fieldwork or grassroots action.

The foundation was officially established in 2014. In the beginning, the challenge was to convince the community of the value of civic work and break down the negative stereotypes surrounding intellectual and cultural initiatives in Libya.

We are still trying to overcome this challenge. To date, we have worked on many community initiatives, some of which are cultural, receiving more than 70 young men and women each month, and some of which are annual, such as the Leadership Preparation Camp, where more than 40 participants from various cities in Libya are recruited and trained to become effective leaders in the communty.

I hope that we will overcome the challenges that our country is facing, so that Libya becomes a democratic state in which we can practice our community work professionally, to create a better future for our children.