Project Peace

A friend of mine, Rosie Gabrielle, who happens to be a super-star photographer (more on that particular skill of hers another day) has launched an initiative and I would like to share it with you all here, the words below are hers.

--

PROJECT PEACE

As 2012 is coming to an end, and with Christmas around the corner, I thought this would be
an excellent opportunity to share something very special with all of you. I believe I was given a gift. A gift to see people. Not only to see and to photograph what’s on the outside. But to see what’s on the inside. I want to show you what I see. And give you a gift. The Gift on inspiration.

They say 2012 was going to be the end of the world. I believe they may have meant the end of humanity. Our world is ridden with greed, materialism, stress. We lack the time to sit and share with people, to get to know them. We constantly want want want and forget about those who have nothing. Instead of making a resolution this new years to lose weight, or be on time, or whatever it be. Make a resolution to make a difference. To walk a new walk. To make each day count and try to bless others. So many things get taken for granted these days. Lets slow down and remember what we have, who we have. And try to reach out to the ones who may not be as fortunate as us.

I want to introduce you to a family. My friend and I had the absolute pleasure of meeting them this last week. There are 5 children. Age 5-15. 4 girls and one boy. The mother is Pakistani and the father is Omani. They live in Muscat. We were introduced to them from a teacher at the local school. We asked her to find some families that she felt were disadvantaged. And that was an understatement. She said she knew of too many families in this condition. That some of the kids came to school starving and in pain from hunger- in Muscat.

We entered a quaint part of town and were greeted by the kids as we pulled up to park. They led us to door in which did not look as though a home would be placed. We walked up a set of stairs to a main patio. The kids seemed a little shy at first, but intrigued that we were there. My Omani friend sat down and talked with the mom and daughters. Unfortunately their eldest daughter was very ill and the father had taken her and her brother to the hospital. The room was barely 7x5 meters. It was the living and sleeping room for all 5 children and the parents. One bed. The mom explained to my friend that her husband is the Moathan (calls for prayer) at the local mosque. Per month he gets 100 rial. This is the only income coming into the family. She explained that recently he had a very serious operation on his back. Because of the severity of it they had to go to a private clinic and pay 1000 omr. He is only able to work a few times a week now, thankfully they still pay him the same amount. Daily he still suffers with pain.
 

Their eldest daughter for some time now has been ill. They say she can’t eat much and she complains of pains all over her body, they still have not figured out what is wrong. All of the children have rotting and infected teeth. The 11 year old has a massive chip in her front teeth. The girls described that they cannot play outside because the other children bully them because they are half race. Aside from the bedroom they have a dilapidated washroom that is anything less then sanitary. They had a space for a kitchen but unfortunately there were no hookups for water or electricity. The parents made a kitchen downstairs by the entrance. I was horrified at the conditions. These poor people had to eat and cook amongst bugs and rot. When asked if there was anything the family may need, the mother was too shy to say. The young daughter had overheard the question. With tears in her eyes, she simply said, our house, look at our house, it is full of bugs and water leaks in from everywhere, we don’t know what to do!

The thing that stuck out to me the most, was that the kids had rescued a small bird who had been injured. They took that bird in and cared and loved it, when they were the ones needing care and love. This family was so full of love and smiles despite their situation. The kids were so polite and thankful. Once they warmed up to us they were quite comfortable to be around us and play. They loved getting their photos taken and one even tried taking some photos herself! After we left I was buzzing with euphoria. How much I Loved each one of those kids. And just the thought, what if I can change the cycle of that family. What if I can give them hope and a new start. I want to bless the socks off them! Them, like so many other families in our neighbourhood, in our cities in our countries, need our help. There could be a natural disaster tomorrow and we would have nothing, but each other. So while we are comfortable and we can. Lets help one another. That’s what we are here to do. To Love each other! So I encourage you to live life a little differently, start to see things and people on a deeper level. Make it a new way to walk in life, a walk towards helping others. I hope everyone has a blessed, healthy Christmas and New Years with the ones they love. May I have sparked a new light in your life !

If you feel compelled to help this family specifically. You are welcome to donate any household items, clothing, food. If you would like to make a cash donation towards the renovation of their house or fixing the children’s teeth, feel free to contact me. If you are a business and would like to sponsor the renovation of the teeth fund, please contact me

Rosiegabrielle@hotmail.com / 9521 9032

Many Blessings to you all,

ROSIE

--

If you would like to see more pictures and reactions from people, there is a facebook page here.

Get involved, every little helps.

le fin.