Reflection+Essay+Samir

My Reflective Essay This past year of service learning has not only been tiring and tuff but it has been the ultimate experience. Not only did the people I helped benefit but I did too. From just watching I learned what some people might never have the opportunity to learn. I can also say that after such a great experience on the school trip and my personal project I am looking forward to joining service learning for another year. Aside from being involved through school I will also continue this habit for life. I have learned a lot this year, not only about charity but life skills as well. To start raising money isn’t as easy it might seem. There are two problems when raising money. The first problem is that rejection is common. Even when you think no one is going to donate, you must continue because opportunity is everywhere. Personally I was rejected quite often but I made some money here and there. At one point we thought of giving up because we couldn’t raise sufficient funds. A few weeks after that point we were blessed and all the money was collected in less than two days. What I learned was to never give up, because if you’re on the right track and doing your part, success is certain. Working with people taught me a lot as well. Some of the people that needed help refused to accept it as they felt it was too much. Others were willing to take everything that came their way. Neither is bad but it points out the kind of people that make up the world. To give people everything they need is very hard. But giving them something gives them something to live for. Even if it is small, it makes a major difference in their lives. I also learned that as much as you want to help, there is a limit. Since our funds were limited we could only help a specific number of people. Choosing whom to help is very difficult. When making these decisions the life of someone is in your control. So when the decision is made it has to be the best alternative that could be taken. In my project I choose whom to help by making a priority list. We organized the people form top to bottom by who needed the most help. The people that were in most need of help were put on the top of the list. They were also the first to receive aid once the funds were gathered. Another obstacle in my project was finding contractors who were willing to take the job. We found the contractors quite quickly but having them get on board with job was difficult. Although they were being paid for their work, it was not very profit making for them. But after telling them the people needed help and that it was for charity, they decided to help out. Working with them was an interesting experience, they gave us the projected costs and we worked of those numbers. From these people even though they were great I learned that not everyone cared about the interests of others. Some people only worked and cooperated if they had a benefit from what is being done. The part of the project that really changed me was the point when we gave the people their improved homes. It was the joy and satisfaction in their eyes that really touched me. After I saw them I was really affected. I learned that something so small like giving them beds to sleep on could really change their lives. Even the people who didn’t receive a lot were beyond grateful. At later points when we were passing by to see other projects the people were so happy and invited us into their homes. They were no longer people that we helped but friends that we would always remember and they would always remember us. So helping your community is very important. In that process relationships are built and relationships are very important. The quality of service is also very important. If we are going to provide for the people it has to be the best. In the end that is what we did, we gave the best we could offer. We really did make a difference in the lives of these people. All of them now have homes that had all the basic necessities. People, who didn’t have roofs before we came, now have roofs that are made to sustain weight and rain. The homes that had walls but were full of cracks that allowed bugs and wind we repaired. All these differences were made and they really had a positive impact on their lives. The bigger picture in this problem is the rising poverty levels in Egypt. With people having less money to live with they reduce their living standards. They would rather have food than a home. So until the poverty issue is dealt with people will remain below living standards. As long as I can help the issue I will continue to do so. Maybe in the future I can help put an end to the bigger issue.