By Nahid Hasan, past district Interact representative and past president, Interact Club of Habigonj, Bangladesh
On 15 August, I had the opportunity to help bring a moment of happiness into the lives of 50 underprivileged children living on the streets of Sylhet, Bangladesh, as part of my Interact club. Interact develops leadership through volunteer work and we take seriously our call to make a difference in our school and community.
Those of us who have been blessed with all that we need have a responsibility to lend a helping hand to those who struggle to secure even the basic necessities. We designed our “Happiness” project to be an example of community service with a spirit of empathy and compassion.
On the chosen day, we welcomed the children to the hotel we had chosen for our event and treated them to a delectable dinner, meticulously prepared to cater to their tastes and preferences. We created an ambiance filled with joy and camaraderie. The children were able to leave their worries aside for a while and take part in interactive games, storytelling sessions, and other creative activities. Each child was presented with thoughtfully curated gifts, symbolizing love, care, and the promise of a brighter future.
By bringing a moment of joy into their lives, we hoped to create a ripple of change extending beyond that day. Our goal was to enhance their self-esteem, enabling them to seek better opportunities for themselves off the streets. We also want to build community awareness of their situation and foster compassion among the volunteers who helped us out with this project.
For the day, we enjoyed a colorful moment of levity with them, and gave them a reason to hope for brighter days. Interact is a great youth organization. Thank you, Rotary, for supporting our efforts – and Long Live Interact.
https://blog.rotary.org/2023/09/19/bangladesh-project-spreads-happiness/