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© Courtesy of Ammara Essa

Verizon Data Scientist Supports Refugees

USA for UNHCR has partnered with Citizen Verizon Volunteers since 2021, a program that enables Verizon employees to donate their time and skills to support important causes. USA for UNHCR has engaged more than 1,246 Verizon employees in 1,401 hours of volunteer work.

Ammara Essa is a data scientist at Verizon and a passionate USA for UNHCR volunteer. She was searching for initiatives that she connected with through the Citizen Verizon Volunteer program when she came across an opportunity to support USA for UNHCR. Ammara was already a supporter of UNHCR, having given for over a decade as a donor, but she was immediately intrigued by the opportunity to use her skills and talents towards a worthy cause. 

The initial volunteer opportunity was a brainstorming session on how to deploy temporary wireless networks in places such as refugee camps. From that initial opportunity, Ammara has gone on to work on other projects ranging from planning sessions for deploying a functioning communications network to researching topics on digital inclusion for refugees with disabilities. As a wireless engineer, Ammara feels she’s finally found the perfect intersection between a cause she deeply cares about and a volunteer opportunity she can use her skill set for.

“As a person, I think experiencing joy is a fundamental human right. But it’s difficult to find joy when you’re a refugee and you have nowhere to go and nowhere to call home,” Ammara reflects. “My goal is to help them find joy again by getting their lives back on track. But I know I can’t do it by myself, so by partnering with an organization like USA for UNHCR, we can get them back to the state where all they have to worry about is, “Where am I going to buy my birthday cake from?”