Removing clothes from our closets that were no longer useful to us, was highly a dull job. The thought of giving away our clothes and providing donations to the cancer patients and the other unwell children at the Muhimbili hospital, not just fastened this dull job, but brought about some enthusiasm of carrying it out.
Dragging the big black bags did not seem a burden to our shoulders having known the intention of carrying out the activity, which was indeed to reach out to the needy in society. Our hearts were at one end, content to be given a chance to serve and on the other hand extremely touched by what our bodies shivered to see. Plasters covered not just three quarters of the bodies of some but fully covered them from head to toe. A small child of a year and few months old in this condition made us feel how fortunate we are to have what we possess today, our health. How must the poor child be bearing all that our eyes refused to witness, we wondered. One required strength to be next to the child who has endured the deep tolearnce and been through all the compulsion with no fault at all. Being burnt in porridge, made it not just difficult for the small baby to appreciate the gift of sight and to view the world around him at such a tender age, temporarily, but having his mouth covered with plaster made it difficult for him to feed as well. Another child with a similar condition tried to put on a smile on her face as she noticed our presence in the ward room. Feeding on the banana gave her great pleasure, but the sign of discomfort appeared on her face, having just her eyes, nose and mouth visible from the rest of her body. The food and clothes next to her were a reason to her happiness, that her mother could tell of, as like the other women, she blessed us too.
The greatest gift one can give to the other is the gift of time. Looking for donations for this particular day and letting out our clothes from the closets early in the morning was definitely not a fruitless task we carried out, but one that brought about the pride to serve, prayers and one that lit the faces of most of the patients and their parents with smiles, joy and hopes for a better future. In the process of distributing the clothes, we came across many children with different kinds of illnesses, some suffered from cancer, while one child's body did not have the ability to maintain its position in a straight normal manner, but curved itself. Feeling the ache in ourselves, it was impossible to imagine how hard the life of this poor child must be. Yet again, in the process of rendering our services, a child of about 10 years of age awoke from his sleep with the chattering sounds of the other children and their mothers in the ward, by our presence. The child could not swallow his saliva as normally as we can, but uses a large bowl to do so, as though it were a water tape running continuously. In doing do, the child turned towards us, as if watching with a keen eye and taking note of all that was happening around us. Many patients in bed with illnesses we have never heard of made us realise how our few moments cherished the lives of those who need us the most in society.
What made our Sunday special was the successful activity that we were a part of and that we enjoyed to have carried out despite the circumstances of our everyday lives. To bring about life in the world of those who need our contributions, we make ourselves satisfied in a spiritual manner, we learnt. After having met the children, some of which who are still very young babies, we learn to be very appreciative to the world around us, live and enjoy each moment as though this moment will not return again, serve with an intention of bringing light to the lives of other people and create awareness in them that they are cared about in the society of both the rich and the poor, serve with a smile and not with the feeling of disgust and arrogance. Being a part of the Lions Club, Dar-es-Salaam has instilled in us a great sense of motivation. "You are not the momentary whim of a careless creator experimenting in the laboratory of life. You were made with a purpose" Og Mandino. Apart from all the purposes and priorities in life, one of our aims is to provide services, just as the motto of the Lions Club states, "We serve"
Thanks
Prospective Lion Mumtaaz
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