Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct David Ishmael's graduation status. Updated 3:25 p.m. Monday.
A UNM alumnus has established a foundation to show solidarity with underprivileged communities, and to help reduce health disparities across the globe.
David Ishmael, founder of the Ishmael Global Foundation, said that the organization is dedicated to three primary issues: health, sustainability and education.
“The healthcare part of the organization will focus on oral health,” said Ishmael, who added that he is formally completing his degree program in political science and geography through online courses. “The sustainability part of the project can be broken down into three different sections: water security, food security and sustainable energy. The education section is a broad one: We are focusing on developing small projects in New Mexico and Barbados revolving around the idea of providing scholarships that allow access to educational opportunities.”
He said that the foundation’s short-term goals include starting pilot projects in Haiti, Barbados and New Mexico.
The Barbados and New Mexico projects are both similar in that they focus on education, he said.
“We are trying to find ways to assist students who wish to study abroad (from Barbados) by funding their travel, either in part or fully depending on need, under the provision that they return to Barbados to apply their education,” he said. “New Mexico’s project will be focused on high school students (who want to study abroad).”
Ishmael said that he was inspired by his desire to follow in the footsteps of his mother, who was dedicated to public service, particularly healthcare and oral health, as well as his personal experiences in dealing with underprivileged people across the country, which was a catalyst for the establishment of the foundation.
When he finished school at UNM in May, Ishmael moved to Washington, D.C., having just found a job. He said that about every two or three blocks there was someone who would ask him if he could spare some change, or a dollar.
“I would give what I could and move on,” he said. “Eventually it started to really annoy me. However, I was not annoyed because I was being asked, I was annoyed that I could not continue to give. It appalled me that in our nation’s capital so many people would be at this level of need.”
Lybron Sobers, co-founder of Ishmael Global Foundation and lead developer of IGF-Travel, said that the foundation is a multi-faceted organization that also aims to tackle the issues of human rights and equality, along with healthcare.
He said that recent studies by the Barbados Ministry of Health show that 20 percent of adults over 25 have diabetes, and 40 percent have hypertension.
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“The results are absolutely stunning, and it’s on pressing issues like these (that) we would like to make a significant impact,” Sobers said.
IGF intends to make that impact by working with other organizations that specialize in education, health and sustainability, as well as by creating its own programs and volunteer networks in the future, he said.
Ishmael said the foundation is in its infancy and he does not expect to get much done before next year. He said the launching of IGF-Travel, an arm of the foundation, will serve as its income source for the time being.
“I am beginning the marketing phase now in order to attract potential investors and build up a solid network of partners, sponsors, projects, project leads, etc.,” he said. “Even if this venture fails in the long run, if I can help anyone, even for a short period of time, it would have all been worth it.”
Sayyed Shah is the assistant news editor at the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at assistant-news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @mianfawadshah.
