Monday, November 29, 2010

Do you know a child in need?

Imagine a world where children grow up learning important things without any fear. Imagine traveling around the world and meeting children whose smiling faces are glowing with health and happiness. This world may still be poor but children are its priority. A big part of every State's expenditure is geared towards appropriate development of children, communities provide safe and enabling environment for them and families grow stronger while enjoying the laughter of their little ones. What a wonderful vision, isn't it? 

And then think of a child in your current environment whose face is neither smiling nor glowing, who may not be going to school, who probably is struggling to get three meals or is living with fear. Perhaps, many children's faces would revolve around your eyes. Try to focus on one, someone that you see very frequently. Maybe it is your own child who has everything but is so fearful that he/she doesn't even express his/her desires, fears, and ambitions openly. It could also be a child who is not related to you but you see that child on the road begging everyday. 

Whoever that child is, please think of ways of helping him/her without pressuring your purse or time too much. Some of the ways to help this child could be to: (a) dedicate half an hour three-five days every week and teach him/her, (b) sponsor his/her education (it doesn't have to be an expensive school), (c) provide a safe space to this child where he/she can talk about things that might be bothering him/her (this may include physical/sexual/mental abuse), (d) make him/her play, laugh and enjoy and (e) if the child doesn't have appropriate adult care, please connect this child to a trusted governmental or non-governmental organization that will meet this child's basic needs of food, clothing, shelter, education and security. 

If all of us were responsible for at least one neglected child, our vision would not be too far away from reality. We all know, our children are our future and the better we are able to bring them up, the better this world would become. If we teach them sharing with our actions, they will not learn to snatch. If we teach them love with our action, they will not learn to hate. 

Let's prepare a better world, a peaceful world!

2 comments:

  1. Well said!!! When we look at the biography of the greatest despots in history, we find that they experienced a troubled childhood, usually only children without much opportunity for socialization, nor the capability for self-expression.

    Peace is achieved with "child play." A safe environment with an opportunity for play activities goes a long way to a healthy social and psychological development. Spiritual development is achieved by fostering the "moral" ways in their treatment of other children or supervising their play activities and giving feedback.

    To achieve peace takes a healthy childhood, to achieve a healthy childhood it takes a village!!

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  2. @ ....and our villages in India do not have this vision, Joe. 'पड़ोसी का बच्चा है तो मैं क्या करूँ'...is the general mentality. We have no vision to see children as national property. I appreciate Gudia's post for it has that vision.

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