In 2016 I represented Sat Nam Foundation in Lesvos, Greece as a Search and Rescue volunteer. One sunrise morning on the Aegean Sea, my crew and I approached a small boat filled with 70+ refugees. Some of the passengers celebrated at the sight of us, while others cowered in fear that we would send them back to Turkey. I walked to the front of our rescue boat and greeted the people with my usual Arabic salutations letting them know "You are Safe. We are not police."
As I made my headcount of the passengers on the boat, a father pleaded loudly, "Water. Water."I grabbed a couple of bottle of water that we had stashed away in the case of emergency. I reached across the boat and passed him the bottles. I watched as he passed the water to his 7 children and sipped the precious water.
We landed on the shore safely and disembarked our boat. The father approached me and said,
"My children had not drank water in 3 days. There was no water in the Turkish refugee camps. You gave us life, you gave us hope."
In this moment, I made my commitment to service. Over the past three years, I have worked with Sat Nam Foundation to create intentional, sustainable projects that served those most in need.
In April, we launched our "Be a Lighthouse" program. We are asking our community to consider giving $1 a day or more to Sat Nam Foundation. This monthly giving program has given our organization a steady heartbeat that will allow our programs to grow stronger and impact more people.
I encourage you to join us today! Sign up here.
Sat Nam.