By Kaavya Pathirana, Communications and Reporting Officer
In celebration of World Children’s day for this year, the Emerge team came up with the idea to screen a few kids’ movies throughout that week at the 3 shelters we work with. We picked out movies which would make the girls smile a little wider, and think a little further. I was privileged to join the team for 2 of these visits, were the girls watched the animated movie; Home and the new Cinderella movie on a large projector screen. It was so much fun!
Both of these occasions mean the world to me, but let me elaborate on the day we watched Cinderella together. I had seen this movie before on two occasions before that, and when Cinderella’s mother told her to “have courage and be kind”, it felt like she told everyone who watched the movie and I thought it was a great message. Yet when I was among our girls and the Emerge team, it hit a different part of my heart with a whole new level of meaning. She said the words, as I knew she would – and I realized that second that I was already surrounded by courage and kindness in that very moment. The girls are courageous.. They have kind little hearts – and without forcing us to be; they inspire us too, to have courage and be kind.
It was priceless hearing them gasp over Cinderella’s magical fluffy dress and her amazing shoes – afterall, they are who they are at core – teenage girls who crave a life where they can at least be able to grab a bedspread and twirl it around their waist as if they were at a grand ball. But the reality of it all is, they do not chase a fairytale with fairy-godmothers or pumpkins or glass shoes – they yearn for a life where they are able to be normal kids, to be looked at as a survivor not only by the eyes of Emerge but the whole world, and not looked at as a victim. They yearn to be accepted. That is their reality and that is their ultimate happily ever after.