By Paul Manship – General Director
There is something so right, welcoming, and warming about being met by a child’s smile. It is also seemingly so natural for a child to smile. I suppose it is because life is so fresh and wondrous for a child. Each new moment and new encounter is the opportunity of discovery and joy. It is promising, hopeful, a moment of trust, and a time of engagement. Perhaps as we grow older and experience disappointment and even betrayal, we lose the capacity to be fully engaged. But somehow a child’s smile touches anew upon our hopes and our dreams. But some children simply don’t smile. I’ve found them among those who are malnourished. Their willingness to trust, their openness to engage, has already been lost to life without joy. This is such a tragedy. If anyone should smile, it is a child.I am told by those who first encountered these two children on their first visit to begin the nutrition supplement “Chispuditos,” that they weren’t smiling. In fact they were distant, hidden, fading away from life. But on a future visit, when this photo was taken, they were in the forefront. How easy it is to restore hope, to inspire engagement! All things can be overcome when you can be engaged with your world, and a child knows this innately. How much good we can do for our world simply by investing in the birth of a smile.
We are fortunate this year that our nutritional program is up and running. It is funded until the end of this session. We have managed to bring some costs down and we have wed the nutrition program to our clean water program. We are helping to keep more children healthy and free from retarding, chronic diseases. Unfortunately, it will only last while we are able to fund it. We so greatly appreciate your assistance. If you can find us others, we can continue to make these smiles flourish.
Peace,
Paul and Laura
