"The Greater our Generosity, The Greater our Blessings"

The 29th of November marked Gauteng Tzu Chi volunteers' second visit to Nyelethi's Children Home in Benoni. With the Christmas holiday season fast approaching, it provided a wonderful opportunity for the emphasis to be placed on the gift of giving and showing true compassion to all.

- by Joanne Lan -

Photo by: Joanne Lan

 

Even though having only visited the Nyelethi Children's Home twice this year, it is fast holding a special place in my heart. I was privileged to have been invited to return and teach the words of wisdom of Master Cheng Yen. In today's world, the true meaning of Christmas has been largely overshadowed by the media's emphasis of large spendings and receiving lavish gifts and with children being as impressionable as they are, it is important for them to understand the value of generosity and compassion and display these values throughout their lives and not only during the holiday season.

Photo by: Benny Chiu

During our recent visit, we kicked off the program with a few warm-up games and a recap of what was taught during our last visit followed by the Jing Si Aphorism tutorial. Armed with a story involving a childhood favourite, Winnie the Pooh, I aimed to teach the children about how generosity means to be kind, caring and sharing towards others and how the more we give and extend a helping hand, the happier we can be in our lives.

Photo by: Joanne Lan

After having recited the Jing Si Aphorism perfectly, it was then time to put the teaching into action. Each child was given a colouring book with crayons and instructed to pick a picture in the book, colour it in and prepare an accompanying story to go with the selected picture. The children eagerly took on the challenge, each presenting their best work; it was really a joy to see how a simple project could make the children so happy and how it was something they were willing to pour all their effort into. The winners of the challenge received bags of sweets which they were encouraged to be generous with and share with their friends.

The visit concluded with a gift giving session with Tzu Chi volunteers donating gift bags filled with treats to the children as well as food and necessities that would be donated to the home. All in all, it was another successful, heartwarming visit to the Nyelethi Children's Home and from my point of view, the most fulfilling part of these visits are seeing these children learn, develop and grow with positive thoughts, generous spirits and compassionate hearts.



Photo by: Joanne Lan

Event coordinator: Benny Chiu
Assistant photographer: Shu-Chen Hou
Videographer: Gino Hou