Join The Safety Net

Join The Safety Net

Start a Fundraiser

Get Started

Raise Your Voice

Get Started

Ways to Give

Learn More
Take Action


Donate
Post Author
By: Anam Faruqi

Intern Q&A with Anam Faruqi

October 7, 2022
Hero Image

Meet our new communications and digital media intern, Anam Faruqi!

Tell us about yourself!

I’m a University of Southern California (USC) student pursuing my master’s in Communication Management, where I’ve combined two of my biggest interests: Entertainment and Social Impact. Eventually, I hope to leverage the power of content and celebrity to bring about social change.

Outside of school, I read excessively (usually fiction), watch incredible TV shows, and try fun restaurants around Los Angeles and Orange Country. My favorite thing to do is have a beach picnic with a book I can’t put down.

I also have an exceptionally long travel bucket list. My favorite trips so far have been experiencing Mardi Gras in New Orleans and seeing the Northern Lights in Reykjavik, Iceland! I also loved adventuring in northern Pakistan (the homeland). The picture I chose for this post is in front of Attabad Lake in Gilgit−Baltistan, Pakistan!

What drew you to United to Beat Malaria and the UN Foundation?

After serving food and drinks on the outskirts of Karachi, Pakistan, two little girls and their mother stayed to play with us after our work was done. By getting to know them, I found that I was troubled by the harsh experiences innocents must endure around the world. As a result, I honed my career path in social impact. While I’m lucky enough to have worked with incredible domestic nonprofit organizations, I’ve always wanted to make an impact on a global scale.

I was naturally drawn to United to Beat Malaria because the UN Foundation has the connections, support, and resources to make a real difference in the world. There is no better place for a young person to learn and contribute.

Why are you United to Beat Malaria?

I can’t shake the turmoil vulnerable populations face every day. Pregnant mothers should feel hope instead of fear. Refugees have already been driven from their homes, why should they have to worry about a mosquito bite? More than anything, no child deserves to succumb to a preventable disease.

Malaria is the oldest pandemic, and it has persisted for so long because we aren’t doing enough about it. It’s comforting to know that while ending malaria is a herculean task, it is one of the few global problems that we can solve.

What part of your internship with United to Beat Malaria are you looking forward to most?

So far, I love that being a communications intern allows me to work with people on every team. I’m excited to learn about each part of our campaign and how it all fits together, because understanding an organization and its strategy from a macro-level is fascinating to me.

Specifically, I’m looking forward to learning more about corporate partnerships, advocacy strategies, and how we work with on-the-ground partners to fight Malaria abroad.

I’m also excited to contribute to larger-scale communications projects covering ethical storytelling and audience analyses, along with some fun content creation.

What is a fun fact our champions may not know about you?

I made a graphic design Instagram account (@anamsdoodles) in 2020 for what I call my “doodles.” I would also probably be considered a Disney Adult, but we can keep that between us.

Join Our Network

Sign up now to stay up to date on progress made in the fight to beat malaria.