A smile is not always an expression of a fleeting moment of happiness. For many people around the world, it may be a sign of regained safety, overcoming a crisis, or receiving a new opportunity for life. As World Smile Day is celebrated on October 2, the importance of efforts that help people regain the basic conditions that make a smile possibly becomes clear — from food, medicine and clean water to education, shelter and healthcare.
We spoke with Dr. Shourouq Alnakdi, Community Relations Specialist at LIFE for Relief and Development, which ranked third this year according to Charity Navigator’s ratings among the best organizations addressing the challenges of poverty. We had the following conversation with her:
– What does a smile mean to humanitarian and charitable organizations in general?
For us, it means bringing smiles to the faces of those most in need through humanitarian and development programs implemented in 61 countries around the world. A smile, for us, is about children, families, older people, people with disabilities, and communities affected by crises and wars.
Orphaned children are among the groups that need continuous support, not only to meet their basic needs but also to ensure that they can continue their education and receive healthcare and grow in a more stable environment. Through its orphan sponsorship programs, which LIFE launched in 2002, thousands of children in different countries receive support that helps them meet their basic needs and continue their education by providing educational supplies, building and rehabilitating schools, as well as university scholarships that help young people continue their studies despite difficult economic circumstances.
– Do you really have the ability to bring smiles to the faces of orphans in war zones?
Absolutely. These are the children whose smiles are not only visible on their faces but come from their hearts. They hold on to the simplest hope for safety and a normal life.
In Lebanon, for example, children rush to our team as soon as a psychosocial support event is announced. In Gaza, providing school supplies and a seat in an educational tent can bring a child immense happiness. In Sudan, providing medicine for an orphan’s mother can make him smile because he feels that we have protected his only source of security in life — his mother. The same is true along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, as well as in Yemen, Iraq and Somalia. The smiles of these orphans are a source of our determination to overcome every challenge.
And it is not only in war zones. Last year, moving families in Syria from tents into homes brought happiness to the faces of widows and their orphans. Those homes protected them from freezing to death during the winter. Providing clothing, food and shelter to people displaced by floods and earthquakes can also restore a sense of safety and dignity.
– Is poverty a cause of unhappiness and the loss of a smile?
Not always. Poverty does not only mean a lack of money. Sometimes it means difficulty accessing food, medicine or education. That is why LIFE’s programs include food and cash assistance to help families address their daily needs according to their circumstances. Cash assistance gives families greater flexibility in determining their priorities, while food assistance helps ease a basic burden for low-income families, particularly when food prices rise or sources of income are disrupted.
In many cases, the smile that appears on a mother’s face after she receives enough food for her children reflects her feeling that a heavy burden has been lifted.
Older people and people with disabilities, in particular, also face increased needs during crises, especially when health and social services decline or families are forced to flee their homes.
Food and medical assistance, along with the provision of basic necessities, help reduce some of their concerns and enable them to maintain a greater sense of humanity and dignity.
Services related to hearing and vision are also particularly important, whether through medical examinations, eyeglasses, assistive devices or therapeutic interventions. These services can help children continue their education, adults remain able to work, and older people communicate more effectively with their families and communities.
– Why do we always hear “laughter” during well-drilling projects, whether from children or women?
That is true. Safe drinking water projects are among the most important forms of sustainable support. Drilling wells and establishing water sources does not simply provide water; it reduces the time and effort families spend obtaining it and helps reduce health risks associated with unsafe water.
For children, having a nearby water source can mean more time to attend school, while for women and families it can ease one of the harshest daily burdens.
During well-drilling projects, especially in African countries, we often hear laughter when the water begins to flow and its clean drops emerge. This brings joy to those who contributed to digging the well and encourages them to continue doing good for people in need.
Through our work, we have found that one of the most powerful smiles comes from providing medical care for children. A widow may suffer because her child is sick and she is unable to relieve his suffering, or because her child cannot see or hear and needs support. That is why LIFE implements medical programs around the world through medicines and medical supplies, support for hospitals and health centers, as well as health programs in communities in need.
– Why has everyone come to associate the greatest suffering with people living in camps?
In conflict and disaster areas, families may lose their homes and sources of income, making shelter, food, water and medical care urgent necessities. LIFE participates in humanitarian emergency responses by providing emergency assistance, shelter materials, food, water and medical supplies to support displaced and affected families.
A child’s first smile after his or her family reaches a safe place may simply express the recovery of part of the sense of security that was lost. This can happen after a war or any environmental disaster.
– Can you tell us about real-life stories that have left a lasting impression on you?
A smile begins with basic needs — things that may seem simple: a meal, medicine, a cup of clean water, a book, a school, a university scholarship, a hearing device, eyeglasses, or a safe place to sleep.
Behind every humanitarian project we have implemented over 34 years is a different story. In Senegal, for example, food assistance can mean giving a mother the ability to provide better meals for her children. In Sierra Leone, educational support for a student may represent an opportunity to continue studying instead of dropping out of school. In Bangladesh, a new pair of glasses may give a child the ability to read, while medicine for an older person in Indonesia may provide an opportunity to live more comfortably.
These stories, despite the differences in their countries and circumstances, share one meaning: humanitarian assistance is not only about what is provided, but about what it enables people to do — to continue their lives with dignity and hope.
A genuine smile is not created by words alone. Sometimes it begins when a person finds what they need to feel safe, preserve their dignity, and look toward tomorrow with greater hope.
For more information:
https://lifeusa.org/#social-media