“The way my children see the community has changed.” Zainab, Uganda
Zainab is a mother of five children and a teacher from Uganda. Last month, she decided to start Family Volunteers for Peace (FVP) with her children. She found ‘Sanyu Babies’, a home for abandoned children. The home takes care of 50 children. Her family decided to serve the home as their family’s volunteering project. On March 27, 2021 Zainab, her husband and children initiated their Family Volunteers for Peace project. It was a very special experience for the entire family.
During preparation and implementation, both parents and children shared lots of ideas. The family even bought and wore their own customized family volunteering T-shirt.
Even though they could only visit a few children aged 4-5 years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Zainab’s made their best efforts to be involved with the children. They made scrumptious bread and cakes to bring to the children and Zainab’s eldest son read books to the children.
The young daughter said that she enjoyed eating cake together with the children. Zainab’s second liked when his brother read books to the children.
Spending time with abandoned children changed Zainab’s sons and daughters’ view of society. During reflection, the children asked and thought about the issue of abandonment. One son asked, "Why do mothers abandon their children on the road?" Zainab’s eldest son replied, “I feel that once in a while, we are obliged to offer some support to the needy people in our communities.” Her first daughter shared, “Once someone commits to offer support to any needy person or group, they should do it willingly.”
Zainab said, “I have a sense of responsibility for children to contribute to society. As I prepared and conducted FVP, the relationship between my family has improved. In particular, I was surprised at the active participation of my husband, who was not interested at first.”
Zainab is thinking of ways to continue this FVP project to engage her children in service and volunteerism in an ongoing basis. As a teacher, Zainab is thinking of providing regular learning services to improve children's literacy and numeracy skills by using a variety of learning tools. She also wants to create peace by participating in these projects with conflicting residents in the community.
We are very excited to see what Zainab’s family will develop in the future and we applaud their commitment to service and peace.
Family Volunteers for Peace(FVP) is an initiative of Global Peace Women to build a culture of service around the world. We invite your family to volunteer together and share your story.
o For question and to submit your stories email us: Global Peace Women-Family Volunteers for Peace Team (Younshim Park) family.volunteers@globapeacewomen.org
o read other stories, and find out more about Family Volunteers for Peace and its lead organization Global Peace Women visit the Family Volunteers for Peace page: https://www.globalpeacewomen.org/strengthen-families/family-volunteers-for-peace