Heart-breaking or heart-warming

by Ine Voorham, chairperson Dorcas Supervisory Board

Incredible, how sad situations can at the same time be encouraging. Hearts symbolise love and affection. We all know them. Those pictures of clouds that look like hearts in the blue sky. Or two hands forming a heart with thumbs and index fingers. As chairperson of the Supervisory Board, I was in Albania in June. I met brothers and sisters who work hard to help other people with what they have.

Visible charity

One image in particular, I will never forget. Jolinda, a four-year-old Roma child. She lives in abysmal conditions, together with her mother Zamira, father Luan, six other children and two grandchildren. They live on a small piece of land and they are not sure if they can continue living there. Jolinda suffers from epilepsy. She coughs and shivers, despite a temperature of more than twenty degrees Celsius. It breaks my heart. The doctor has written a prescription but the family has no money to pay for medicine. I feel helpless. One of the people in our group puts his hands around Jolinda’s sad face. You can see it has a calming effect on her. It is beautiful and alarming at the same time: Jolinda’s face captured in those two strong masculine hands. Together they make a heart. Visible charity. Heart-warming.

Hands that care

Sometimes you have little more than your own two hands to let someone  know you care. A simple healing and blessing gesture. At the same time it is our mission to look for ways to ease the suffering. In Jolinda’s case money for medical care. That is serving God with your heart and your mind.

17 June 2014