50 ways to give back

Take the time to read the whole article World Vision recently published on their website  “Fifty ways to give back”

When Dr Anil Arora recently turned 50, he decided to do something unique to celebrate. It was also a life-changing decision for some of the world’s poorest children and communities.

“When I turned 50 I reflected a lot on my life … and I had an overwhelming feeling that I was not ‘giving back’ to society or the world to the extent that I could,” said Anil. “I thought that one way to give back … is to sponsor 50 children.”

Originally from India, Anil decided to sponsor 25 children from his country of birth and 25 children from other countries around the world.

Anil is an ophthalmologist in NSW and his colleagues at Laser Vision Clinic Central Coast are also involved. The staff enjoy connecting with their new sponsored children, and the opportunity to encourage their learning through letters and interactive gifts.

“I wanted to try and sponsor the children ‘properly’ in the sense of being able to write to them … I knew that I was too busy to do this on my own … I mentioned this to my staff who had no hesitation in being involved and in corresponding with the children … They love it,” Anil said.

Anil’s patients are also playing a part. A percentage of funds from every laser vision correction surgery goes towards his child sponsorship contributions.

“We have little pictures of our 50 children in the patient consulting room and the patients do ask about the pictures … I think that the patients actually get a sense of satisfaction in knowing that a part of their fee for surgery is going towards such a worthwhile cause,” said Anil.

Anil and his team look forward to seeing the lives of their sponsored children change for the better in the years to come, as their communities benefit from basic essentials like clean water and sanitation, nutrition and healthcare, and education. “I’m proud that my organisation and I can be a small part of this wonderful effort … to make the world a better place for those who aren’t as lucky as we are.”