I step out of the car to the sight of a group of children exercising with their volunteer coach on the left side of the school front yard, another group sitting in the corner enjoying the spring weather, closely paying attention to their volunteer literature teacher while he narrates the biography of a famous author.
Then while walking towards the entrance of the school, our guide picks up an empty bag from the floor, when immediately a 12-year-old kid approaches him politely saying “Let me take this from you and put it in the trash.”
We move into the school to find children learning English, singing and dancing in different classrooms.
Then we reach the arts classroom where the teacher introduces himself saying proudly with a smile on his face “I was once a student in this program and it is time to pay my dues by giving back to the same program that gave me the tools to make a life for myself.”
This past Friday I went to visit an NGO program created for orphans to incorporate them into The Orenda Tribe communities, to inspire hope within their community, where ironically they are the ones who inspired hope into me.
Their close-knit community, positive attitude, hunger to learn and pride in helping each other, regardless of the tough conditions that they are going through is exactly what we all need in these times.
Inspire Hope,
Zaid Souqi
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Support our cause of empowering children through art, by buying our 100% organic cotton purposeful t-shirts. The artwork on the t-shirts is made by children living in our partner communities and refugee camps. A gift with a cause.
Link to our collection: The Orenda Tribe t-shirts
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