Nulu’s Family, Uganda (FVP Story 2021. )
We are surrounded by people we call “neighbors.” But how much time do we take to think about our neighbors? How much are they like family? For her Family Volunteer for Peace project, Nulu’s family took time to share cakes with the children in her neighborhood. From the special time sharing with her neighbors, she learned that happiness comes from giving to others, not getting.
Nulu, who is in her early fifties, and her adopted daughter Aisha, who is twelve, took interest in the Family Volunteers for Peace initiative after a GPW intern introduced it. The two thought about the families in their neighborhood who have been put into difficult situations due to Covid19. Many families have a hard time getting enough to feed their children. During the family meeting, Nulu and Aisha brainstormed about what they could do for their neighbors. Eventually, they zeroed down to sharing some bakeries with children in their neighborhood.
Nulu reached out to one of her friends who is very familiar with the community and asked her to arrange a meeting with children of needy families where she could distribute the baked goods. She gathered the funds and her daughter made a list of ingredients and went to the market to purchase them. Together the family baked and packed the snacks together.
The day for giving out the baked goods finally arrived! The community friend who had gathered the children, 17 in total, joined them on the occasion. “I have got to learn more about what happens in my neighborhood. I discovered that many families need a lot of support in many ways, but most especially with feeding their children.” reflected Nulu.
“I learned a lesson of never to waste food anymore by pouring it in the dustbin as part of my routine after becoming aware that many people lack what to feed on in my community,” said Aisha
“The happiest people are not those getting more, but are those giving more,” concluded Nulu. In the future, her family hopes to reach out to a wider community by sharing food with other community members and spreading the culture of service and peace by bringing together different people from diverse backgrounds.
Thumbs up to Nulu and her family for the spirit of service and we look forward to them conducting more initiatives in their local communities!