Seeking and Finding Happiness Through Service

by Jacqueline Monet, Social Media Marketing Manager

 

I sometimes peruse “This Day in History,” while searching for inspiration or, at the very least, a good piece of trivia. Yesterday, it turns out, was the day that Albert Schweitzer, the Nobel Prize winning physician and philosopher was born. As I read about him, I found the inspiration I needed from his quote:  The only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve. That statement rings true to me, the organization I work for and for our new partner home.

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Source: Wikipedia

 

Our newest partner home, the Christ Faith Home for Children, is a very special place that has truly sought and found how to serve the vulnerable. Through my work for Kitechild, I’ve gone from a superficial understanding of vulnerable and orphaned children to a much broader perspective that has shifted my focus from simply helping others to supporting communities to be empowered. Similarly, the mission of the Christ Faith Home is to care for the vulnerable members of their community, by attending to their immediate needs and by supporting them to go on to live fulfilling, independent lives.

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Located in Chennai, India, the Christ Faith Home is a secular NGO that works in a multi-faceted way to care for all the disadvantaged members of their community including children, the elderly, the ill and women. Their ideology is based on the proverb: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” They work with orphaned and vulnerable children through housing, adoption and educational programs. Like their other programs, such as medical and women’s welfare, their emphasis is on the long-term goal of self-reliance.

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We have installed solar panels at the Peace Garden, their home for 35 boys. This home provides food, shelter and an education to the boys until they reach an age Their electricity bills are a monthly burden for them, so by alleviating that cost, the home can instead spend their money on more nutritious food and the education of the children. The boys are cared for until they graduate school and the home works to aid them in their higher educational pursuits and finding them jobs, so that they can live vibrant adult lives.

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Source: Christ Faith Home

We are so excited for this new partnership and hope that, together, we can continue to serve vulnerable children around the world and continue to bring about lasting change.

A year after the first Girl Summit was held, the organization Girls Not Brides looked at the progress made on the goals created at the summit. As their infographic shows, they have been working on ending child marriage through empowering girls, advocating on their behalf and working in the communities, among other efforts. All of us at Kitechild fully support the Girls Not Brides movement and know that if we all work together, we can make this a better place for all children to grow up. Read more about the yearly report @GirlsNotBrides: http://www.girlsnotbrides.org/girls-not-brides-one-year-after-the-girl-summit-taking-stock-of-progress/ #GirlsNotBrides #education #children #humanrights #LetGirlsLearn #socialjustice #NGO #EndPoverty #GirlSummit #unicef #EndChildMarriage #empower #DoGood #TogetherWeCan #BeTheChange #AchieveIt #BelieveInGood #PayItForward #MakeADifference #global #childrights #advocacy

The kids at the Arias Home of Hope in Chennai, India, take their yoga very seriously! Any guesses on what pose they are going for here? We say they are getting ready for a “Virabhadrasana” pose. As part of our Little Lens Tuesdays, all of these photos are taken by the children themselves with a camera we left behind in 2013. The home houses around 30 HIV/AIDS positive children, and yoga is a great way for them to stay healthy and practice mind body balance. We are currently fundraising for a solar project at the home, please check it out on our site [link in bio] Namaste! #yoga #namaste #breathe #pose #healthy #fitness #workout #awareness #children #kids #cute #ohm #yogini #peace #zen #india #happy #getinvolved #giveback #change #impact #ngo #positive #inspire

We met Tika during our research trip to India last year. She’s a spunky girl who has dreams of becoming a teacher, and her favorite color is pink. In general, orphan and vulnerable children living in orphanages are often portrayed as sad and hopeless cases, but this is simply not true. They are bright, funny, loving kids, no different from your own children, your nieces, nephews, neighbors, brothers, and sisters. It’s time the world starts seeing them as such, and realizing there is a lot to gain from investing in their well-being and potential. Join us! kitechild.org #change #ngo #impact #giveback #makeadifference #care #cute #happy #pink #teacher #hopes #dreams #theydeservemore #bethechange #inspire #thinkoutsidethebox #philanthropy #children #funny #silly #india #work

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