A Realization We Need
Last year I visited a non-government organization,
‘Shelter for Children with Cerebral Palsy’. I had always wanted to get a closer
look into the environment, people, and lifestyle of care shelters like this
one. It was a very new experience for me even though I had visited an old-age
home before. The environment was completely different. I had looked forward to
an inspiring visit, but I got more than I bargained for. My visit to this
organization changed my whole perspective towards the struggle of life and how
we should handle it.
I had participated in a beauty contest last year and
for social contribution as a part of the event, we were taken to the NGO.
Before going there, we collected some donations among the participants to give
to the NGO. At around 3 p.m. on the 4th of December, we traveled to Sankhu
where the shelter was located. The location was an hour away from the city area
and its chaos. I was really eager to see something that I had never seen in my
life before, an orphanage for disabled children. Having a lot of images in my
mind about what it would be and look like, we reached our destination. All my
thoughts disappeared because what I had been thinking of, was now right in
front of me. I was thinking that the kids would be antisocial and hard to
mingle with, which turned out to be completely wrong. I had expected the place
to be poorly managed and dirtier, but to my surprise, it was better than what I
thought. Just when we were welcomed inside the premises, I rushed towards the
children who were sitting on a mat spread on the premises of the shelter. It
was a little difficult to communicate with them so I just decided to give hugs
to them and express my willingness to play with them.
I took a walk around their rooms, observed the
not-very-hygienic place, and came back to sit with the kids. It was winter, but
I could see that they barely had warm clothes to wear. We were then told some
of their stories, and I came to know that most of them were from the streets,
abandoned by their family and relatives for being differently able. Besides
children, there were a few old people in the shelter, too. One of the patients
had come from miles away after he heard about the NGO for differently able
people like him in a radio program. By the time we were told a few stories, I
had tears in my eyes with a kid with cerebral palsy in my arms. They had
difficulty eating by themselves, walking, using the toilet, and even dressing
themselves. Many of them drooled, required regular wiping. The fact that they
had been in the streets with these disabilities instead of a hospital or a care
center broke my heart. The caretakers told us that all they needed was love and
empathy. I was trying to put my arms around as many kids as I could. I did not
know how I could express my concern for them. We then learned about their daily
life routine, struggles they faced, and provided them with the little amount of
food we had brought.
The kids were so welcoming. They did not even know us
and just because we were guests to them, they made us feel comfortable by
letting us in their rooms, showing us their drawings, offering tea, dancing,
singing, and sitting with us. It amazed me how these little humans who were not
even in their teens made us feel warm by accepting us and allowing us into
their world. Then I thought to myself, it takes only love, care and kindness to
make a person feel good. That is exactly what these kids did. They said age is
only a number, and we adults have so much to learn from our children; that day
I encountered this saying turned into action.
After playing with the kids, communicating with them,
taking a closer look at their everyday lives, hearing their stories, and seeing
their priceless smiles, I had a moment of realization. I always tried to make
my life easier by quitting the things I couldn’t do but that’s not right at
all. Life is full of ups and downs. It is never a bed of roses. We have to
fight through the struggles rather than quitting. Every difficulty we fight
against makes us stronger for another battle. We have to learn to be positive
towards our struggles and know they are for our own good. The kids in the
shelter have so many obstacles in their lives, and yet were so cheerful and
positive. The lessons they taught will remain with me for a lifetime.
No comments