Evangelos, a volunteer at METAdrasi’s Accommodation Centre for Unaccompanied Children in Samos, talks about his experience.
I started volunteering at METAdrasi… because I feel that with volunteering I do not only offer to people, but to myself, as well. Volunteerism is for me an equally valuable act of solidarity, not charity.
Through my participation in METAdrasi’s actions I was given the opportunity… to develop my creativity, to see what I am capable of offering to my fellow human beings and, above all, to acknowledge the value of making (unaccompanied) children happy and creative.
One unforgettable experience I had during my volunteer work was… witnessing the transformation of two young children. On their first day, they arrived scared and hesitant, but over time, they enthusiastically participated in activities with the other children, full of joy and excitement.
The emotions I have experienced through volunteering are… the delight that derives when I play with the children and I feel like becoming a child again, and the satisfaction of seeing them smiling at our activities, but also the sadness when I think about how some children might feel being away from their families.
If I could describe my overall experience as a volunteer in one sentence, it would be… that life’s true meaning is found in these genuine smiles, and that one has to never give up on fighting to preserve the happiness reflected in the smiles of these children.
Being a volunteer at METAdrasi means to me that… I know that only by chance I am not in a position of need, and I am actively contributing to making the lives of people, who could have been any of the members of my own family and community, better.
