I want to introduce you to the student that I am working with this week. Our assignment is to shoot a photo-documentary (basically telling a story with 5 - 8 pictures), dealing with any injustice. I met Ngoie ("nn" + "goie" rhymes with joy) about 1.5 weeks ago. I was giving a Voice for the Voiceless presentation to the grade 11's at the high school where I'm been volunteering (when we first arrived, I was SO excited to find this school because it's a block away from our house). Once I was finished, Ngoie literally jumped up to speak with me and asked for some of the quotes I had used in the presentation.
Later that afternoon I met with the Interact/CHOC club at school (they deal with fundraising and charities in the community), of which Ngoie is a member. Ngoie, the Interact/CHOC teacher and I went to the local pregnancy crisis center, but before we left, I asked Ngoie why she was involved in Interact/CHOC. She replied, "I want to pay it forward."
I couldn't get Ngoie or her comment about paying it forward out of my head. I talked to my fellow Trackers that had been working with her in the Film Club (she's a very active student) and also to the Interact/CHOC teacher and everyone said that she has lived a pretty hard life in her short 17 years. It begs the question, "WHAT do you have to pay forward and WHY do you want to pay it forward?"
She sounds like a very special person with a huge heart, strong soul and the kind of energy that changes MANY lives in her lifetime.
ReplyDeleteMarilyn