Lighting Up Children’s Lives
Among the most poignant, yet most joyful, tasks Islamic Help staff and volunteers have carried out is bringing a little joy and happiness to children with life-limiting conditions.
As part of our Eid programme, we chose to distribute gifts and presents to the young residents at Acorns Children’s Hospice, one of the best known institutions of its type in the West Midlands.
Acorns, with regional hospices in Birmingham, Walsall and Worcester, offers a network of specialist palliative care and support to children and young people who have life limiting or life threatening illnesses, and their families. In just one year, it supported over 700 children and more than 1,050 families, including those who were bereaved.
In August 2013, an Islamic Help team bought gifts ranging from children’s books and iTunes vouchers to board games and toiletries. There were presents for about 50 children, ranging from toddlers to teenagers, at the Birmingham hospice in Selly Oak which were handed to them by the IH team including one of the volunteers dressed up as Mickey Mouse.
Nosheen Akhtar, one of the Islamic Help team involved in the project, said: “All in all it was a brilliant experience. The children loved the gifts and the parents and staff at Acorns were very grateful. The volunteers seemed to have had a great experience too - seeing the children’s faces light up as they saw Mickey Mouse was a priceless moment and the volunteers felt very pleased to have been asked to come along.
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