By Sweta Parmar, AFS Delhi Chapter Volunteer
(Photo Above: With kids)
AFS has been a great experience for me since the time I was given the opportunity to be a host parent. I still remember the day of July 2nd 2013 when I became (host) mother of a wonderful daughter “Syahirah Aziz” from Indiana (USA) for 10 months but that bond of being her parent was so strong that I never say now I’ve a single daughter but now I’ve two and we always visit to each other’s place at least once in a year in the past four years. When she left back for her country, I felt too lonely so I thought of to be in connection to AFS and when I decided to volunteer in this organization, I was overwhelmed and feel blessed to be a part of AFS family. Here, I have had several heartwarming as well as amazing experiences of a life time. Amongst all of those one is when I got an opportunity to volunteer with AFS mates in an NGO of underprivileged kids in a government primary school at okhla. I reached there by taking metro but when I walked through the streets, they were in such bad conditions and the garbage and litter were found on the sides of the road. But in that unhygienic environment too, the kids were so magnificent with their charismatically radiant personalities. It was so nice spending time with those beautiful children who are extraordinary in so many fields such as dance, music, some in academic and several other curricular activities. I was feeling so glad, blessed and special to be a part of their lives on Children’s day, Nehru jayanti and Guru Purab of the year 2016. There we painted walls of the school classrooms and had tea made by them, we had tea and biscuits which those little kids offered to us which really made me too emotional and making me realize how life can be lived in any circumstances and as it left a deep impact on me by knowing that despite any rough roads, the will to achieve can be reached. Those kids were so enthusiastic and zealous that we can see a spark in their eyes of positivity. I almost spent whole day there playing with them, dancing and singing with them. Cracked jokes and shared their stories of the dreams they see. It was overall a blessed experience for me to be part of their lives for a day though I often visit there now.