The smell of fresh, nutritious stew mingled with the earthy aroma of the straw-thatched huts. It was already evening, and I rested under the shade of a tree with my fellow workers after a long day of distributing food to many small settlements. My feet ached, and my forehead was hot to the touch, but there was a smile on our faces. Nothing was more satisfying than seeing the
happiness in people’s eyes when they got the healthy food they deserved after a hard day of toiling in the sun. Their smiles made the aches and pains all worth it.
However, the day was to become even more gracious and fulfilling. We saw a small boy walking up the gentle slope as we sat under the tree, leading a little girl by the hand. His skin glistened with sweat as he walked confidently toward us, while the girl, who seemed to be his little sister, looked down shyly at the ground. Her pink dress was muddy, but her eyes were large, round and full of life.
As the boy approached us, he nudged his sister, whispering something to her. The girl stepped forward hesitantly and mumbled, “Hello…”

I got up and crouched next to her with my hand ruffling her short hair. “Hello, little one, what do you need?”

The boy nudged her gently once again. “My mother…” she began. “My mother couldn’t get food today… She is sick in bed. Brother and I were busy taking care of her, and we didn’t notice when the distribution of food was taking place…”

At this, the boy spoke up, “Could you please arrange for some right now? Mother would be grateful!”

I looked at the brother and sister with a smile and then back to my colleagues. One of them got up and walked to the food box on the opposite side of the tree; from it, he took out four containers of stew and rice and handed them to the kids.

“But we are only three people,” the boy interjected, counting the containers.

“Just in case your mother needs a little extra, here you go!” I grinned.

“Thank you!” the boy said and glanced at his sister. She beamed at us and mumbled a quiet
“thank you” as they turned away and walked happily into the sunset.

To date, this is one of my sweetest memories of working with the Eyeround Foundation. The happiness that comes from providing people with the simple, small joys of life is unmatched by anything else – and, after all, we’re only giving people what nature wants them to have, which is food and nutrition. Having brought happiness to a few more people, we chatted and basked in the cool shade of the tree, enjoying our snacks.