Emma Stack - Volunteer Feedback

Here's what our Volunteer Emma Stack had to say of her time at El Shaddai Charitable Trust!

From the moment I first walked into Little Acorns I immediately knew that I wanted to help at the shelter. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming and the staff and the children all had big smiles for me. Since then I have been going to the shelter as a visitor and have spent time doing different activities with the children which I have enjoyed immensely. Some days I have spent helping them with their English, other days have been spent doing creative things with them or playing games and more recently a couple of trips to the beach. Every time I arrive I have a sea of beautiful faces smiling up at me saying ‘Good morning didi’ and once again I am reminded of how lucky I have been to have had the opportunity to help at El-Shaddai.



When you volunteer you do so because you hope you can make a difference somehow. It may not be a huge difference, but you hope that in some small way you can make a contribution to the lives of others and give something that will help in the right way. What you don’t necessarily realise though is what you get back. I may have helped teach the children but I have also learnt a great deal from them. I have never once seen them appear to be bored or to complain that they want something they haven’t got. They play board games together in teams and although they may be competitive, they interact with each other rather than pursuing more solitary activities. There is a feeling of unity at Little Acorns and I believe that this is because the shelter provides a safe and caring environment where the children can be nurtured and are encouraged to share and look out for one another. It’s a place that feels like family, whether you are an adult or a child. It’s a place to be proud of.


Helping at Little Acorns has been an absolute privilege and I will miss everyone very much. I will take very happy memories away with me and I will not forget the kindness of all the team that work there – Lavino, Joanna, Kiran, Shankar, Ajit and Kaman – all of whom work incredibly hard to make a difference and create a place that feels like home should.


I may not speak Hindi or Konkani and not everyone at Little Acorns can speak English, but I realise now that even with a language barrier, a smile is universal and you don’t necessarily need to understand each others words to be able to help and care.


I would like to thank everyone at the shelter for allowing me the opportunity to meet and help such amazing and inspirational children and for the friendship that has been extended to me. I am truly grateful.


With much love,

Emma

We thank Emma for her time with us and for the kind words of encouragement she had to say!! Emma is a professional photographer and her work may be viewed at http://www.emmastackphotography.com/ and http://www.flickr.com/photos/emmastack/show