With a desire to initiate a project at her school that would also affect the world outside school, Emma Lehbib, with the group HBG Against Slavery, initiated several campaigns that drew attention to the inhumane treatments of refugees in Libya and raised €1,000 (approximately US$1,173) for the International Organization for Migration. The next year, Emma helped take the lead of the group, which they renamed to HBG for Human Rights. They organized a charity run and raised more than €5,000 (approximately US$5,867) for an orphanage in South Africa. The money allowed the orphanage to finish building an educational establishment and still have a budget for future projects or the ability to care for more children.
Emma learned important skills as a leader in political simulations such as the Model European Parliament (MEP) and Elephant Model United Nations (ELMUN). She helped to organize a conference for 130 students as part of her role with MEP; and, as secretary general of ELMUN, an international summit of 200 students, Emma guided the General Secretariat and the staff team. For both conferences, she was partially responsible for finding sponsorships and accommodations, coordinating applications and training the chair team. She was also part of her school’s student council.
Currently, Emma studies International and European Law at the University of Groningen, Netherlands. She works for an NGO and is part of the Sahrawi Diaspora in Germany. Together with her colleagues, she is organizing demonstrations, moderates events and plans campaigns to liberate Western Sahara from the Moroccan occupying power. In the future, she wants to pursue a career in academia and politics. She is also a 2020 Zonta International Young Women in Public Affairs Awardee.
