Many people aspire to change the world and put in a helping hand. Shikha and Shruti Patel did just that as they created an organization known as the UNICEF club.

“The UNICEF club or the United Nation International Children’s Emergency Fund was founded by me and my twin sister Shruti at the beginning of this year,” Leader Shikha Patel said. “When we first thought of the idea of the club, our main goal or focus was to spread the word about the importance of the voice of children everywhere. We are trying our best to help people understand that high school students like us have a vital role in helping children all over the world, despite our age.”

Shruti, co-leader of the UNICEF club, shared how the organization welcomes all students.

“The audience of the club includes the students at Bowie,” Shruti said. “ Everyone is welcome and we hope that our club appeals to all grades.”

Shikha and Shruti hope to influence their classmates to help in the organization and display to them the significance of the club and the impacts it has.

“ The impact that UNICEF has on the Bowie campus is that it helps open the eyes of many high school students,” Shikha said. “ As students, we might be underestimated but in reality, we all have a voice to make a change for everyone in the world. The club is an opportunity for Bowie students to come to school feeling confident and proud that they have just saved a refugee or a child in need.”

This club also helps young adults in the future by creating job opportunities, having more extracurriculars on their college applications, and triggering a special feeling inside of them.

“ The club is a great way to improve on skills, UNICEF helps increase skills in fundraising, advocacy, leadership, and education,” Shikha said. “ These words are essential ideas in college and the future, perfecting those will definitely help you learn in the future.”

The UNICEF club is not only affecting the futures of the people in the club but the people that the club is helping.

“The club plays a huge role in society, we are changing lives of children all over the world. We are pitching in to provide health care and immunizations, safe water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more,” Patel said. “We are contributing to society in many ways. The slogan for UNICEF is ‘putting children first all over the world’, not only are we contributing to society, we are contributing to the community and the world.”