By: Uadaya Sivakumar Emerge Lanka Financial Officer
Yesterday was the first time I visited the Salvation Army. Before I went there, I had many questions, such as, how am I going to face this situation? Will they see me as part of the Emerge team? Will I be able to answer their questions?
When I reached the Salvation Army, I saw that the entrance gate was slightly opened and that the children’s playground was full of emptiness. When I got closer to the main entrance, I realized that the main door was an iron gate which had a BIG padlock. This made me feel that our young women are caught in an old cement building.
After I waited for a little bit, a girl came and opened the door for me; she showed me towards the direction of the main hall. When I got into the main hall, Iroshini had already started to deliver her training sessions to a group of girls between 12 and 18 years old. Most of them were listening to the session, but some of them were just there. I was introduced by Nirukshi. Everyone smiled at me, although at the same time, I felt they had a lot of questions about me.
When Iroshini concluded her session, some girls came up to talk to me. Some other girls came and stood closer to me, but they did not say anything. I noticed that when they started make jewelry, they were very happy and enthusiastic. They made lots of colorful jewelry in different types and patterns, as they wished. I hope that someone can change these girls’ lives, also, so they can have as much as color and joy as they desire.
All they need is one friendly smile and a caring touch, and I think I gave that to them for at least one day. Thank you, Emerge, for giving this exposure to me. Now I can say that I have spent at least one day of my life in a meaningful manner.