Happiness at Hope

Last week I watched the film "The Pursuit of Happyness" starring Will Smith, about a single father's struggle to survive in a competitive, corporate world. At the end of the film I thought that perhaps it would have been more appropriate to call it "The Pursuit of Money", which left me pondering how closely many of us link money and happiness in our Western culture.

Money certainly can provide us with an easier existence, ensuring at the most basic level that we have the essentials for survival such as food, clothing and shelter. But our society's preoccupation with the accumulation of money as being essential to achieve 'happiness' leaves me feeling uneasy. That said, in the film there were many laudable and poignant sentiments, including the strength of a father's love for his son and his determination to provide him with a decent life and a chance to be happy. In my view all children deserve to be championed in this way.

At World Emergency Relief we work to bring hope of future happiness to children, their families and communities who are struggling against poverty and despair - giving children a living chance. We and our local partners champion them in the face of injustice, natural disasters and cruel circumstance. In an ideal world, childhood should be a time of innocence, uncorrupted and free from harmful experiences. Unfortunately we don't live in an ideal world. All too often childhoods are cut short as the grim reality of poverty and conflict forces them to grow up way too fast, often with no real concept of happiness beyond pure survival.

This leads me to remember a poem I once read as part of the Songs of Innocence by William Blake. The opening line reads:

"The sun does arise and make happy the skies."

It does not take a lot to make children happy. Food, shelter, love. The chance to learn and to play without fear of pain or hunger. Hope for the future, for themselves and those they love.

WER's 'Be a Good Egg' campaign is raising money to buy laying hens for people in poorer countries, for them to eat or sell. It's a simple concept that is changing lives as people begin to eat better and find a little economic independence.

One of the projects that's already benefited from this is Hope Community Centre in Kenya, an orphanage that is home to more than 200 children, many of whom once lived on the streets but now have a chance of a new life - a chance of happiness.

Bilha Muthoni is just 19 but has already had an extremely difficult life. Her father died when she was very young and she was left to care for her HIV-positive mother on her own. She became a single teen-mother herself when her baby's father abandoned her. She struggled to survive with no home, food or support from anyone, until Hope Community Centre gave her a home and the means to start up a small business selling mobile telephone airtime.

Campaigns like WER's 'Be A Good Egg' provide Hope Community Centre with the means to help people like Bilha.

Bilha says, "I am so grateful to you because now I can feed my child and maybe she will be able to go to school."

If you would like to learn more about this campaign please visit www.beagoodegg.com or click here to donate immediately to the grateful children at Hope Community Centre.

To protect identities, names have been changed.

For those of you with a Facebook profile and a little egg-stra time on your hands, why not put the Be a Good Egg Game on your profile by clicking here and show your friends you are a Good Egg!


Lucy Cork is a member of the World Emergency Relief marketing team.