Kareem Musaev

Kareem Musaev ships devices to kids across Ukraine

Photo by Ian Sands

Ridhi Boggavarapu, Copy and News Editor, & Aleez Lakhani, Staff Writer

We all want to contribute to society in one way or another. Many try to help their local community, others go as far as helping people from different states; for Kareem Musaev, his passion for service goes all the way to the country of Ukraine. While significantly involved in his local community and at Northview High School, Kareem is passionate about helping students in Ukraine, whose lives have been heavily disrupted by war. Musaev has spent countless hours helping teens and children in Ukraine by providing them with devices so they can continue their education.

Musaev moved to the United States in 2011. Though he was only four years old, he still faced difficulties acclimating to a new environment.

“I would ask my parents to ask other children to play with me because I couldn't ask them myself in English. And then with time, I learned how to ask them myself,” Musaev said.

Despite these difficulties, he still found excitement in the novelty and unpredictability that come with being in a new country. This positive attitude is something that he carries with him to this day. As Amanda Choi, Musaev's AP Calculus AB teacher, has noticed, his infectious energy is very evident in class.

"[He's] super entertaining. He always comes in with a smile," Choi said.

Additionally, he is always willing to help others out in class. His passion and drive to better himself and uplift others around him have made a positive impact on those who get to know him. It does not go unnoticed.

 "Kareem, he's like a flame. He's a very passionate person. But what makes him different is that he's always trying to improve himself and also the people [around] him. When I became friends with him, I also became a much better person... he motivates me to go to the gym and he motivates me to study harder as well," said senior Lukas Lee, a close friend of Musaev.

So, when he heard about the Russia-Ukraine War, about the countless children who were living in fear and without access to education, he was deeply concerned. Education is a fundamental right for every child, and it was being stripped from over 4 million students across Ukraine. He knew that he had to do something.

“[My parents and I] reached out to this one blogger, [Lena Mathies], who's Ukrainian, and we saw that she was helping children from Ukraine, specifically because she's Ukrainian herself…

She would give them laptops and give them gadgets and everything. And we want to help as much as we can, right?” Musaev said.

With the help of their contact in Ukraine, Musaev and his parents were able to reach more than a hundred families and help children gain access to computers. More importantly, his initiative has given them back what the war took from them—their education.

“I would raise money. I would ask my friends, family, neighbors, anywhere, I would go everywhere. We sent two packages so far, and we're in the process of sending a third one,” Musaev said.

However, raising money and buying computers is not the only part of this lengthy process. Musaev and his family have to work with local non-profit organizations to coordinate the often expensive and complex shipment of these computers to individual families across Ukraine.

"It's a complicated process... shipping it to the specific addresses of the children. We connect with those children specifically, we find their addresses of their homes, or we find a place where they can drive or walk [to] pick up their laptops... It's really hard because [the] shipment itself is like a couple thousand dollars," Musaev said.

This process has already made a huge difference, but the war is still going on— yet many people have forgotten this. Many people have become desensitized to the war and fail to realize the severity of the situation, even three and a half years after the war began. According to the Ukrainian World Congress, July of this year marked a record high casualty rate since May 2022, with 286 civilians killed and 1,388 injured. Additionally, one in every ten learning institutions is now destroyed or shut down. Due to this, the average child in Ukraine is around two years behind in reading, a year behind in math, and half a year behind in science. 

“People kind of forgot about [the war], and people don't really show the same attention that they used to. Ukraine is still going through the same fight. It's not like much has changed in Ukraine. They're still getting attacked, hospitals, schools [are being bombed]… they're attacking normal civilians,” Musaev said.

Musaev explained that to combat this issue, he uses social media as a newfound tool to spread the word about the work he is doing and its significance.

“I just post on all of my stories [using] social media. That helps a lot. And then I would go through all of my friends, and then all my friends would repost the story, and then would reach out to thousands of people,” Musaev said.

Furthermore, Musaev hopes to eventually collaborate with other clubs and organizations at school to bring more awareness and funding toward this cause. Many volunteer-based clubs, such as Beta Club, already participate in or create fundraisers, making them well-equipped to aid this cause. 

"I would love to partner with some of the bigger clubs, or even the smaller clubs, just to run a fundraiser to continue the help to Ukraine," Musaev said. "Ukraine still needs help. It's still in the middle of a war. Their opportunities for education have been limited so much because they're not able to go to school. They're not able to learn in person. They have to do it virtually, but they don't have laptops to do it virtually." 

Anyone can make a difference. Everyone has the power to take action. To support Kareem Musaev's initiative and help Ukrainian children gain access to an education, go to teenaid4ukraine.org.

"Every child deserves an education, every child deserves the same rights, the same opportunities," Musaev said.