Aliya Latif, originally from New Jersey, has a background in Public Policy from the University of Pennsylvania. She is the Humanity First USA Country Director to Guatemala, and will be assisting Humanity First Guatemala during the Gift of Sight clinic. She plans to remain in Guatemala until the end of 2011 to help organize and plan remaining Humanity First Guatemala medical camps and projects. Aliya is one of our bilingual team members, and her Spanish speaking skills have already come in handy during conference calls with the Humanity First Guatemala team. She is excited to take part in the Gift of Sight clinic this year and has shared some of her personal thoughts on why she has joined the team: 

“So much hard work and planning has gone into making the Gift of Sight clinic possible. I’m looking forward to doing all I can to help make the surgery week a success. In my early years, I had a very special uncle Muhammad Sadiq who’d lost his sight, as well as a childhood friend. To be a part of restoring the Gift of Sight to others is especially important to me, particularly in a developing country where the need is so great. Entire lives and the lives of their family members will be changed forever due to these surgeries. This gift is invaluable and I feel humbled to be able to play even a small part in the process.”