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Coming from CHIJ Katong Convent, the habit of giving, expressing love and gratitude to those who matter to me was instilled since young — I feel that’s the key characteristic of an IJ girl. From the roses, balloons and handmade cards on Valentine’s Day to the baked cupcakes and happy surprises on birthdays, I’ve never stopped being an IJ girl despite graduating a few years back. 

 

To give is to love.

 

The endless will to continuously make a difference in this world, especially to those who need it the most, grows in me everyday and it gets fuelled when I read about stories and the adventures of young people my age who travel to countries like Africa, Nepal and India to get directly involved in helping those suffering from poverty, hunger, diseases, lack of shelter and natural disasters.

 

I kept asking myself: what’s stopping me from doing that too? What am I still doing here, when there are so many people out there in the world suffering? What am I actively doing, right now at this moment, to help those who desperately need a helping hand?

 

Shouldn’t I be making use of my opportunities and blessings — shouldn’t I be spreading the joy and happiness in my life to those who don't even have the hope to see another day?

 

These thoughts flood my mind quite often and I pretty much feel useless because I can’t actually do something which will help all these unfortunate people. 

 

But then I realised: Most people like you and me do want to help others. We would if we could. We simply don't have the luxury of time and money to actually get directly involved, and that’s  o k a y. That is definitely acceptable. So what can we do? What can people like us, with stressful and busy lifestyles compounded with the constant worry of our future — what can we do to make a difference in the world? How can we transform our inner desires to help others, into actions?

 

And then I thought: since I love hand-making, painting and crafting things, why don't I sell it and donate most of it (90%) to a charity or an organisation which is directly and first-hand involved in helping people suffering from hunger, poverty and many other problems? 

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Here's what I came up with:

 

By customising and purchasing your own card/tote bag/notebook from here, maybe for yourself or your loved one’s birthday or to simply show appreciation and heartfelt gratitude, 90% of your money goes towards Action Against Hunger. Instead of just making your loved one happy, you’d be bringing smiles to the faces of children in Kenya, Uganda, Haiti and so many more third-world countries and states — this is how you can directly lend a helping hand to those who really need it. This is how you make a real-life impact to the lives of the unfortunate, who are thousands of miles away.

 

This is how I can help you, help others.

 

The approach/concept is two-fold: you multiply the amount of joy in the world; you are actively making a difference through every product you buy.

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You are giving back to this world, twice.

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The idea of me being able to help these people from home (literally) inspired me to start this — I don't have to physically be there to help them, I can do it straight from home; the love and compassion for them is the same nonetheless. With true courage and a pure heart, love always removes all boundaries — and this is how I want to help you make a difference.

 

This is how I want to help you, help others.

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It’s truly a blessing to be surrounded with love from people around us — never take this for granted. I always believe in this saying: love in your heart isn't put there to stay, love isn't love til you give it away.

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Joy is always meant to be shared — so let’s work together to bring about a world full of hope and happiness.

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I hope this inspires you to come up with new ways of helping others in the world — always count your blessings and never take what you have for granted because somewhere out there in this universe, there’s a small kid wishing he had a quarter of what you have.

 

Zero hunger, zero poverty and world peace may seem like “not-any-time-in-the-future” ideals but with people like you willing to give, I can safely say we’ll get there faster.

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So I leave you with 2 questions to ponder about:

How can you, a discerning citizen of the world, help others in need?

How can you put your skills, experiences and talents to good use?

Share your thoughts and ideas with me here. I need you, so many people out there need you.

 

 

Only love is needed to make a difference.

Only love, is our guiding light.

Only love, can heal and unite.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read this — I wish you the best of luck in everything you do and may God bless you always.

 

 

With love always,

Vidya

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