"It's not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving." ~Mother Teresa
On 5th April, 2022, Desire, Fatumah and Sharma, three sisters visited the family of Hajati Mayimuna Nabakooza. They brought gifts including basic amenities like bar soaps, rice, posho, sugar and clothes, they also brought hearts full of love.
Inspired by Shadiah who joined the Sunshine Family Volunteers initiative with her family, Desire asked her sisters to join her in reaching out to a family in need. In the process, they each realized that each had special skills to contribute to the project. Desire collected the cash donations and purchased the gifts. Fatumah collected and cleaned the clothes for donation. Sharma searched for a family to visit.
The sisters decided to visit Hajati Mayimuna Nabakooza’s family. Mayimuna Nabakooza has three children with disabilities, and a daughter, Aisha, who had to drop out of school because their family could no longer afford school feed.
“What was so heart breaking is that told us they would sometimes go without a meal,” said Desire.
When they arrived, the elderly lady was lying on her mat looking weak. The sisters’ visit overwhelmed her to tears and she welcomed them with open arms.
Through her tears, she recounted her situation. She has been paralyzed for five years. A sewing machine that her friends help buy for her has been a critical part of her recovery, a tool for physiotherapy and a source of income, but living has been hard.
The visit was a lesson to the sisters. Sharing the little we have, showing love to others is not just about giving gifts, but the love we put into giving. Compassion knows no bounds. There is so much we can all do to in our quest to live for the greater good. Whether it’s visiting orphaned children, sharing a meal with a needy person in your community or just giving emotional support to them, helping hands are always blessed.
We hail Desire, Fatumah and Sharma for their teamwork and outreach to the less fortunate in their community in the spirit of GPW Sunshine Family Volunteers. If you have a Sunshine Family Volunteer story to share or your family wants to start a project, email younshim.park@globalpeacewomen.org.