Prishan Foundation

Dedicated in improving the lives of orphaned & abandoned children around the world.

It was the exact same time last year that I was sat in my brother Mehdi's apartment in Vancouver having just come back from 6 months living in Milandhoo and Sri Lanka. I was going through the pictures I had taken of my time in Milandhoo island, clicking through each one and sharing my experiences with him. With each picture I would look at, my heart would break more and more. I missed those children, so much, but yet had only been away from them for such a short amount of time. My heart was still there with them in our English classes and our after school adventures!

The pictures of Sri lanka were next - the country that had made such an incredible impact in my life. I felt a lump in my throat, I wasn’t even able to speak about my time in Mother Theresa’s orphanage, it was so magical and so intense that speaking about it felt like something I was physically unable to do. No words could ever come close to how I was feeling. Anyone who I was in contact with during my time in Mother Theresa’s orphanage heard about the boy who had changed my life - Prishan. I wrote to my brother almost every night when I left the orphanage, I couldn’t stop speaking about Prishan, about how much of a connection we had, about how angelic his face was, how gentle his touch was and how much love I had for him.

Mother Theresa’s orphanage was the first orphanage I had ever been to. I had prepared myself emotionally several months in advance before flying to Sri Lanka. I knew that working with children was something my life was going to be dedicated to but I didn’t know if I was ready for it. I didn’t know how I would feel being around children who I knew didn’t have parents. Would I feel sorry for them? Growing up having lost my own parents I knew how much I tried to hide this fact from people. The majority of people in my life never knew I didn’t have parents, they were always ‘travelling’ or ‘back home in Iran’. The conversation would quickly be changed if the subject of my parents came up, for the simple fact that I never wanted to be different. I feared that I would unintentionally do the same to those children. I wanted to go there to show them love, not because I felt sorry for them but because I wanted to show them that they are no different to any other child. They are special and unique and deserve the absolute best in life.

I remember the first day I went to the orphanage, I went straight into the office and introduced myself to Sister Eliza, I told her that I was there to be at service, to do anything that was asked of me and to help as much as possible with the day to day activities of the children. She seemed surprised but very respectful and she told me to go back the next day because the visiting times were over. I was so desperate to see those children becauee I was so close to them but yet so far. I went back to the church I was staying at and could barely sleep that night. I returned in the morning, waiting at the entrance for the gates to be opened, it felt like a lifetime! Finally, the warden opened the gates and I walked in to the garden. The orphanage doors were not yet opened, the children were still waking up and the sisters were getting them ready but I could see them through the opened windows. I could feel my heart beating so fast, I was finally where I belonged.

I stood by an open window where some of the children were sat, I extended my arm out offering a hand shake to one of the little boys but instead of a handshake, he held my hand. I didn’t want to let go and neither did he. I held his hand so tightly, closed my eyes and wished that he could feel how much love I had for him, even though it was the first time we were ‘meeting’.

It was time for the orphanage to open its doors. I was still sat outside holding this boys hand from inside the window when one of the sisters came next to me and offered to show me around. I was so happy! We walked in together and I had a permanent smile on my face. All of these beautiful children around me, all with so much energy and so welcoming, I was a stranger to them but they never made me feel that way. I felt so overwhelmed. The sister took me to several of the rooms where the children slept in, she showed me the kitchen where all their food was prepared, then pointed to the second floor of the orphanage and said ‘that is where the babies are, no visitors can go up there unless they are adopting’. I didn’t ask anything further about it.

For the rest of that day me and the children on the first floor played so many games! We ran around the orphanage and garden playing tag and tickled each other to the point of tears. I was the happiest I had ever been in my life, I felt like I was reunited with my long lost sisters and brothers.

The visiting hours were over and I had to leave. Those 6hours flew by! The walk back to the church that evening was so painful. I missed those children.

While lying on my bed that night all I could think about were the babies on the second floor. I wanted to meet them too, even if it was for a few minutes. I was determined that the next morning I would ask one of the sisters to allow me to go up with them to meet those precious babies.

The next morning I got there an hour early. I stood outside the orphanage gates counting every second until the doors would open. As soon as the warden opened the door, I ran into the garden. I could see from his face that he found me to be quite an odd and yet an amusing character. I went back and introduced myself to him with a huge smile on my face and every morning after that, even before he opened the gates and could see me, he would say ‘Hi Narges!’

I stood outside the orphanage waiting for the doors to be opened. One of the sisters opened the door and let me in and my second day with these beautiful children began. Every once in a while I could hear the babies crying from the second floor. I was ready to  finally ask permission to go upstairs. I asked a sister who was coming down the stairs if I could go up and help but she politely said no. She said that they already had many sisters up there, she appreciated the offer but preferred not to allow visitors. What she was saying was reasonable, I totally understood but I just wanted to help out so desperately.

Every day at the orphanage I would play with the children of the first floor near the steps leading up to the babies. I wanted to be with those children but also needed to feel connected with the babies upstairs. Every time a sister would come down the stairs I would ask ‘are you sure I can’t help?’… they would give me a wonderful smile, a little laugh and say ‘Narges, again!?’

Every day I would sit one step higher on the steps until the forth day… Sister Eliza came and sat next to me on the forth step and told me she had never met someone so determined, took my hand and led me up the stairs!

I was so happy!! She took me to wash my hands and instructed me to wash them every time I was to pick up a new baby. She walked into the baby ward but I had to just stand there and take in everything I was seeing. She looked back at me, gave me a smile and continued to walk.

I remember so clearly how I was feeling at that point. I couldn’t believe how honored I felt to be allowed into the world of these precious babies. They were all lying in their little cots, so innocently, so peacefully and I felt so overwhelmed with emotions. I couldn’t take my eyes off one particular baby. He was the only baby that stood up in his cot. He was wiggling around, stepping from side to side and shaking his rattle around with the biggest smile on his face. I had floods of tears streaming down my face when I saw him. I must have been at least a couple of meters away from him but I could still see every expression on his face. He was so happy and it was as if he knew that he had to entertain himself. It was as if he had mastered the art of baby dancing and he was in his own little world – a baby world that I wanted to experience too. I slowly walked up to his cot, not for a second taking my eyes off of him. I got to his cot and on a label attached to his cot a sign read ‘Prishan, born March 17th 2008’.

That moment my life changed. Prishan was now my world.

I smiled at him but he didn’t seem to notice me. I attempted to do his little baby dance but still he didn’t notice me and continued to look around without ever focusing on anything. I stopped, stood still and realized then that he could not see. His eyes were so beautiful, a colour that I had never seen before but they just simply weren’t made to see the world. I took his little hands and put them on mine. I gently stroked them and from then onwards our wonderful and magical relationship began.

I spent my final 2 weeks in Sri Lanka with him in my arms. I fed him, bathed him, clothed him, played with him, listened to music with him and put him to sleep. Every minute of my time in Mother Theresa’s orphanage was about him. Every time I picked him up, he would reach out to find my necklace, a way for him to know that it was me. That is why this picture will always be so special to me. It captures everything about our relationship that my words can never even begin to explain.

The day that I had to say good bye to him was the most difficult time of my life. I felt like he knew that I was leaving. I had never seen Prishan cry, I had never seen him refuse food but that day I felt he could sense my sadness. I waited for him to sleep, sat by his cot in tears for several hours and left knowing that this little baby had changed my life forever.

I was sharing this with my brother when I was back in Canada, showing him more photos and telling him about how I wanted to support this home as well as other homes in Sri Lanka. I decided to post pictures on Facebook and ask my friends to consider helping too and that was the exact moment I decided to start my own charity…

But what will the name be?? I asked Mehdi what he thought. He told me to think about something in the past 6 months that really stood out for me, or a name that I really liked. He even suggested ‘Daffodil’ (my name translated into English)…I was silent for a few seconds then shouted PRISHAN, PRISHAN FOUNDATION! I burst into tears, my brother burst into tears and we held each other so tightly. That was it! This was the name of the most special baby boy in my life, a name that was in every conversation I had had since he came into my world.

In his inspiration and in his name, Prishan Foundation was started on January 1st, 2011. Since then we have raised more than $55,000 for children in South Asia.

One baby boy changed my life and because of him hundreds of children around the world have been made to feel loved. 2011 was an incredible year for Prishan Foundation. Thank you to each and every single individual, community, church, school and business that have helped us bring smiles to these childrens faces.

‘Be the change you want to see in the world’ – Gandhi

Happy New Year everyone!

Posted 30th December 2011 by Prishan Foundation