“Words of recognition and appreciation to a child are like sunshine and rain to a flower” (unknown).
And if there is anything that gives children confidence, and builds them up spiritually, emotionally and psychologically, then it certainly ought to be a simple show of love and affection.
Such noble acts put smiles on their pretty little faces and create the spark to spur them on to achieve whatever they set their minds on.
A smile is infectious, it melts hardened hearts, breaks tensions and calms down nerves, and for children, without it in their daily affairs, life loses its essence and meaning.
While some children experience this in abundance throughout their formative years, because they have parents and families to ensure that, others, mostly Orphans, will have to be chasing through the long years of their lives shadows of vanished parents to enjoy some semblance of hearty smiles.
ALSO, READ THIS: Be a value-added person
OP studios showed love to the kids
And so, as water is to the thirsty soul so is the show of love, affection and attention to the orphan and the dejected, hence the little or no wonder at all when there came a pandemonium of smiles, radiating through the many happy-thirsty faces at the Rising Star Orphanage in Dodowa, as the Op and Client Support Outreach team walked into their premises last Saturday, March 14, 2020.
Led by its Founder, Habib Lanry Mahmoud, the Op and Clients Support Outreach team fed the kids, numbering 53, with food, assorted drinks, local beverages as well as candies.
The kids were not only given sumptuous meals but there was also a donation made to the home to cater for them.
Some of the items donated included bags of maize, bags of rice, boxes of indomie instant noodles, gallons of cooking oil, packs of biscuits, bottled water, cleaning and washing detergents, liquid soaps, tins of tomato paste, packs, candies, T-Rolls and tissues, clothes, a PA system, among other valuables stuff.
An undisclosed amount of money was also donated to provide for their other needs.
One of the volunteers, Lateepha, a Speech and Language Pathologist/Therapist, seized the opportunity to teach the kids how to properly wash their hands, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Talents abound
There was a great display of talents from the kids when it was time for some competition to spice up the merry-making.
Five of the baddest rappers in the orphanage, comprising three boys and two girls locked horns with each other to show to the visitors who among them had the hardest rap punchlines.
There was also a dance competition where some of the children showcased their dancing moves and grooves to the delight of the visitors.
All the kids who participated in the various competitions were rewarded with toys, candies and money for their efforts.
Purpose of visit
The Organiser for Op and Client Support Outreach, Ms Hawa Kentebaako, speaking on behalf of the team, explained that the purpose of the visit was to put smiles on the faces of the kids.
“These children need love”, she said and continued “they need people to show them affection and that’s exactly why we are here today”.
The Proprietor of the Rising Star Orphanage, Auntie Baby, as she is affectionately called by kids, for her part, thanked the Op crew for the gesture done to the children.
She further took the opportunity to enumerate some of the challenges that the home and its caregivers go through in sheltering and feeding the kids and like Oliver Twist, she requested more support from benevolent organisations and individuals.
Op and Client Support Outreach
Since its conception five years ago, the Op and Clients Support Outreach initiative has shown genuine love and concern for the well-being of orphans in almost every nook and cranny of Ghana.
Op studios, its clients and volunteers have crisscrossed the rural areas of the country putting smiles on the faces of many of these beautiful but neglected little kids, through donations of money, goods, and infrastructure.
The Op crew rely mainly on the benevolence of its clients, volunteers and some organizations to make the initiative happen every year in March.
One of America’s finest rappers, Big Sean, in one of his numerous hit songs said “One man can change the world” and this is exactly what Habib and his Op and Clients Support Outreach is doing in the lives of the orphans in Ghana.
They may not be changing the entire world, but they are definitely changing the lives of those broods, little by little, with the smiles that they continuously put on their faces.
Care for an orphan is not about someone doing something, but it is about everyone doing something and as they say at OP studios, “If you have, give. If you still have, give”.
If you are touched by what they do and wish to support them, kindly call Habib on +233244880864.
