Dear and innocent little people

Impressions of a volunteer

There comes a time in every person’s life when we feel the need to do more than a small donation or to help an old woman cross the street. For me, this desire determined me to enroll in a post-secondary school, to specialize in the noble profession of balneo-physio-kinetic-therapy. However, fate decided it is time for a deeper involvement, at that time an unknown zone, in the world of the good people and wonderful children from Romanian Prader Willi Association, who unfortunately need our help. Therefore, I started volunteering, that I will never finish doing.

In the summer of 2015, I got involved in "NoRo - Frambu partnership for future" project and in the summer camps organized by NoRo Center. With the summer sun above us, parents, children, professionals and volunteers, thrilled but smiling, we began our activities. The first day is always special, gathers unspoken questions, curious looks, stories told who knows how many times, in addition necessary to create links between us. Each volunteer received the responsibility to handle one of the children, but without ignoring general needs, other participants present. The camp involves a place where large groups of different personalities come to socialize, cooperate, and carry out activities together, and all of this requires mutual trust. We have tried to become a united group and play for these dear and innocent little people, parents ... and because we knew that, it is possible!

The greatest satisfaction as a volunteer, in activities such as camp, is when you see the smile of contentment appeared on the faces of parents and children involved in inspiring activities in a new environment, but safe, thanks to you and others like you. When you hear his mother exclaiming: "he drew notes on the staff? he drew so beautiful?" or when taking his small hand firmly, feel that his going to fall and by preventing that, you know that you are the reason why is not hurt. Moreover, you understand that you reach his soul, when in his free time wants to stay with you, or when, gone for a minute after the material, seeks you until he finds you.

Maybe at first I did not understand all the implications and benefits of participation of all children, parents and volunteers in a camp, but after I saw the change. I have seen parents who come to the Day Care Center with children that talk to each other, which never happened before, I saw children who recognize each other on the hallways or react positively to one another during ergo therapy. In addition, I saw that they recognize us and respond warmly to us, volunteers.

Beyond the story, there are needs, concerns, and fears. Beyond the story, there is a cruel reality, of the children with special needs. Beyond all this, there’s us the humans. Taken separately we not always manage to gather the necessary strength to face the current day, but as a community, child-parent-therapist-volunteer we are a force, we force fate and bring back the childhood where seems to be missing. Being a volunteer means to be part of the community that means a lot. Moreover, this feeling is priceless.

Sârbu Sebastian Dușan, volunteer