Page 54 - Book about Friendship and Future.Stories of Volunteers.

Abdalla Khafez

General Director of the “Amrest Company” in Russia
Moscow

I will share my personal story that happened to me about 15
years ago, when I first started volunteering. Once I was invited in
Kazakhstan to visit the kids in one school which was located very
far from the civilization – it was500 km away from the nearest
city center. I was asked to come to the kids from the local school
and orphanage and to tell them what one could be waiting for in
future and why it was important to study. I was fascinated by the
conversation and a large amount of interesting questions these
kids asked me. On that day I tried to share as sincerely as pos-
sible what I knew about life and what I had experienced myself.
An amazing case happened ten year later, in the airport.
a young man approached me and putting his arm on my shoul-
der told me, “Hello! My name is Azamat. And I want to tell you
that you have changed my life.” I replied, “I am sorry, but I do
not know you.” Then he told me that ten years ago I came with
a visit to his school and told them that despite the fact that many
kids in his class had abandoned learning and had become work-
ers, it was worth to continue studying. He explained to me that
before that he had never believed that he could have a regular
future, because he found himself very far from the civilization,
staying at an orphanage and attending not the very best school.
But my story about how I had worked as an ordinary worker in
a restaurant, about my path and how important it was to study
foreign languages inspired him and he became an international
lawyer. The delight I felt at the moment was incomparable to the
pleasure obtained from gifts, parties and other similar things on
which we spend our time to experience some joy. In the next 6
months, every morning I was waking up remembering that case
and felt flooded with happiness.
Try volunteering and helping other people and environment.
I promise you will get much more than you have shared!