Serving others must come from the heart

Alaan Bava (16), a resident of Bassonia and learner at Marist Brothers, recently received Sue Lubbe and Friends Foundation’s Helping Hands Award.

Alaan is part of a group of young volunteers for the organisation.

He is the fourth family member from the Bava family to volunteer for Sue Lubbe and Friends, while his brother Waseem, mother Farah, and father advocate Aslam Bava support the organisation on a monthly basis.

Alaan has been volunteering for the past five years and has accumulated over 96 hours of volunteer work, more than is required to do by the school.

Even though he has completed his hours, Alaan wants to continue volunteering.

“What stood out for me from the start is that Alaan did not care what he did, as long as he could help,” Sue added.

“Whether it was handing out tea and cake or helping people with clothing, it did not matter to him. He truly is deserving of this trophy.”

It seems Alaan was born with a heart to serve.

“When Alaan was a young boy he said he will become president one day and everyone will receive free bread and milk,” Farah said.

“It doesn’t start with the schools saying you have to do volunteer work, it starts at home. Family foundations lay the roots to be charitable,” she added.

Alaan lives by Muhammad Ali’s words: “Service to others is the rent you pay for room here on Earth.”

“Volunteer work is something everyone should do. It should be the norm, you shouldn’t have to stand out for doing good deeds for others,” Alaan added.

Farah further commented that it is not about how much you give or what you do, but whether it comes from the heart.

“Don’t judge, just give,” she added.

“People may think they are more important than the underprivileged, but the person on the side of the road is just as important to God. The real currency in life is what you do for others,” Alaan added.

For Alaan it has been an eye-opener to see homeless, jobless people standing on the side of the road, begging just to feed their families.

“We don’t see how it strips away their humanity,” he said.

“It fulfills me to work and give without expecting anything back. It is nice to receive the award, but I don’t believe one should be rewarded; it’s what every human needs to do. I will keep on doing it until the day I die.”