In August, undergraduate student Reda Riffi received the Leader of the Year award from Nourish Educare, a humanitarian institution in South Africa. Riffi, a first-generation student, also serves as treasurer of the institution.
Riffi created The Eleos Association (Bab Al Khair), a nonprofit and non-governmental humanitarian organization based in Casablanca, Morocco, and Cape Town, South Africa, in 2019; it was approved by the kingdom of Morocco in 2022. The association is for leaders who seek to create change for children through better education and healthcare.
“I leveraged my international network and connections to create the Eleos Association, a non-governmental humanitarian organization,” Riffi said. “I created The Eleos Foundation as a charitable organization and I chose the name Eleos referring to the Roman goddess of mercy, clemency, compassion and charity. The Eleos Foundation is supporting some of the less fortunate people, especially old and poor people who can’t afford medications, and children in need (health, education and nutrition).”