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UCLA’s United Arab Society is hosting its third annual humanitarian event this week to raise awareness about the conditions in present-day Iraq.

Titled “Give Change, Make Change, Change Life,” the three-day event will strive to raise money to help aid Iraqis struggling with poor post-war living conditions.

“We want to spread awareness and education, and to give people a chance to actively give back to humanity,” said Maraam Haddad, president of UAS and a third-year psychology and Middle East and North African studies student.

With plastic bottles lined up around campus, UAS employs various techniques to draw attention to their event. The bottles bear the UAS logo and stand as symbols of change for this week’s event.

“It’s like the life cycle of a plastic bottle. It’s a cycle, and it ties everything together, unifying the entire event and our cause,” said Nader Handelih, press secretary for UAS and a first-year undeclared student.

UAS hopes to raise money for LIFE for Relief and Development, a nonprofit organization based in the United States that is working globally to bring comfort and relief to people in suffering countries.

“LIFE was chosen because their activities were already underway in Iraq,” said Omar Dean, UAS internal vice president and a fourth year molecular cell and developmental biology student.

Throughout the week there will be an ongoing art display exhibiting photos of Iraqi citizens in their daily lives.

On Tuesday, musical group BESSKEPP performed in Meyerhoff Park, reciting poetry and rhymes about various Iraq-related issues.

From 12 to 1 p.m. today, representative guest speakers from LIFE will speak in Meyerhoff Park about their organization and the contributions they have made towards helping Iraqi citizens.

Organizers of the event have three goals: to raise money for the organization, educate the UCLA community about Iraqi suffering, and to show them that they can help.

“Most of the money going to Iraq through our tax money goes to big businesses and doesn’t go to the people who need it directly, so we want to raise money to be able to help them directly,” Handelih said.

UAS hopes to clear up any misinterpretations on campus.

“We want justice in the Middle East, and for the situation in the world in general to calm down,” Dean said.

“We want to instill that sense on campus. The situation in Iraq hasn’t been represented for a long time, and we believe that by bringing awareness to the campus, we can change life,” he added.