‘A Small Act’ showing at Chewstick
The Human Rights Commission will be showing an inspiring film about how a simple act of kindness can have a lasting impact on both the receiver and the doer, today at Chewstick Foundation.The film ‘A Small Act’ is about how retired Stockholm teacher and holocaust survivor, Hilde Back changed the life of a child in Kenya, Chris Mburu, by sponsoring his education. For Mrs Back, it was a simple act, and she certainly never expected to meet the child.Mr Mburu grew up to become a Harvard University graduate and a human rights lawyer. He also started his own scholarship fund for children in Kenya, named for his benefactor, The Hilde Back Education Fund.‘A Small Act’ is about Mr Mburu’s search to find Mrs Back, and also their intertwining lives. It is also about the children that Mr Mburu is helping, who struggle with much the same problems that he did as a child. With the creation of Mr Mburu’s fund these students have new hope, but not all the children can qualify for scholarships.The documentary will be shown at Chewstick on the corner of Elliot and Court Street, today at 6.30pm. Entry is free.For more information, see the film’s website at www.asmallact.com or see the fund’s website at www.hildebackeducationfund.com . To see a trailer go to www.asmallact.com/film.php or www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmeMvkWbCgc .
A year ago, I was driving around Spring Benny Road in Somerset, desperately trying to find the house of someone I needed to interview, when I found my car stuck tight.
Earlier, my interviewee had offered to come out to the road to show me where she lived, but I had refused since I had my trusty map book with me. Unfortunately, the book failed in a major way, and I drove around for about 20 minutes desperately trying to find the house. I squeezed my car up and down impossibly tiny lanes, I must have driven past Port Royal Golf Course about six times, when suddenly and without warning, I found my car stuck on a sandy bank in someone’s garden. With a sinking heart I got out of my car, and found the wheels dangling over the bank. The front underside of my car was actually touching the sand.
In a situation like this, you go through alternating flashes of crushing embarrassment, and denial. “I can’t believe I did this. No, no, there must be some way to get free ...”
Unfortunately, nothing I could do would move the car. In fact, most things I tried just made it worse. Then I did the two things that come naturally for me in any crisis, panic and a phone call to my mother-in-law. As I was dialling mom Hardy, a large truck drove by. In tears, I hailed the truck and told the man my story, trying not to sob (too hard).
“Don’t worry lady,” he said. “I’ve just got to pick up my mate and I’ll be back in a minute.”
With a heavy heart I watched him drive away, wondering if I would ever see him again. I also wondered what it was he could do, other than help me call a tow truck. True to his word, ten minutes later, he reappeared with his buddy. They hooked up some rope to the underside of my car and used his truck to pop my car right off the sand bank.
I managed to get out a bit of a blathering thank you, and they drove off. I have no idea what their names were. I went home to tea and my mother-in-law, who is a great comfort in situations such as this. I decided to do the interview on the telephone.
Although it takes a truly daft person like myself to get themselves stuck in this fashion, kind souls are everywhere, helping strangers all the time with small acts of kindness. Often, we help someone and never receive a thank you. The only thanks is the good feeling we are left with.
The Lifestyles section is asking our readers to try to do some small act of kindness for someone else in the next week. It could be as small as giving your child a hug or giving them a kind word, or something bigger like stopping to help someone change a tire, a donation to a local charity, sending flowers to someone in the hospital, reading at your child’s school, buying 1,000 copies of this newspaper (well, it would be a kindness to
The Royal Gazette), or adopting a pet from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). Write and tell us what you did, and maybe take photographs or make a video and e-mail it to jmoniz[AT]royalgazette.bm. Helpers can also tell their story anonymously, if they so desire.We’d also like to hear of any experiences our readers have had being helped by a good Samaritan. It would be a great way to thank them, even if you don’t know their name.
