What I Learned From the Children, Not the Other Way Around

Three weeks into my volunteer stint, I was exhausted and questioning whether I was making any real difference. Then one evening, a girl named Priya brought me a drawing — a stick figure labeled "didi teacher" with a sun above it. She said it was me. I pinned it above my cot that night. The next morning I showed up early. Sometimes the reminder you need comes in crayon. Volunteering is not always about what you give — it is often about what quietly finds its way back to you.