Empathy in a Time of Crisis – 9

Continuing our blog about this time of global crisis from the perspective of a voluntary team, taking each day as it comes. Thank you for reading.

What’s in a photo…?

Someone in the early 20th century is supposed to have said: “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

Here we are a century later, in the grip of a pandemic, and these words are amplified. In our technological age we can connect with each other in virtual ways, and so we are able to enjoy an extra special dimension to life. Grandparents can applaud their grandchildren’s first steps via FaceTime, lessons and plays are delivered online, and photos stream to our screens as loved ones share beautiful views or a smile from a familiar face.

Telling stories through photos is something Empathy Action has been exploring this week. At a time when we are far apart, it continues to be a wonderful way for us to stay together. Here are our stories, from afternoon tea to garden magic. We hope you enjoy them.

: Garden Joy

: Being the Youngest

: Together

: Catch a Rainbow

: Washing Line?

: Gamers

: Miaow

: Miaow to you too!

: Solidarity

: Rooms

: Afternoon Tea

: New Skills

: Siblings

The power of a simple series of photographs to narrate one of the key stories of today, and do good at the same time, is clear to see here. Ordinary, yet extraordinary, people taking photos with their phones of life and work in our hospitals in order to create a short fund-raising film focusing on the ‘hands that make us proud’.

Stay safe, keep connected, and please do get in touch with your own photo stories. We would love to see them.

#chooseempathy #sharestories

Empathy in a Time of Crisis – 8

Continuing our blog about this time of global crisis from the perspective of a voluntary team, taking each day as it comes. Thank you for reading.

Hope is Contagious – A Rainbow Campaign Update

Over the last week – week 8 of this new world – our Rainbow Campaign has continued to blossom. By mid-week, Sandy, our Innovations Manager, had posted over 90 rainbows across the country. The messages that accompanied each rainbow were beautiful, full of love and thanks; an expression of solidarity and care.

Then, something amazing began to happen. As the rainbows reached their destinations, we, in turn, began to receive messages as the recipient shared their love and thanks to the sender. Over the following days, we started to receive more rainbow orders, this time from those who had been sent a rainbow.

Their message of hope was growing.

And it didn’t stop there. From the incredible generosity of those who were able to make donations, Empathy Action, in turn, has been able to help Vashavi, our amazing makers. Lockdown in South Africa has been very difficult for this group of displaced artisans. Unable to sell their beautiful beaded goods on the streets to tourists and, with the prospect of minimal tourism in the next few months, they are struggling to make ends meet. Funds raised by the Rainbow Campaign have meant that Empathy Action were able to help cover the rent on Vashavi’s accommodation, hopefully providing some stability for the artisans at this difficult time.

We’ve been watching in awe at how one small act – the sending of a rainbow – sparks another and another. Whether it’s brightening a teacher’s ‘tricky day’ or ensuring shelter in a time of need, each small action carries its own magic; a message of solidarity and hope.

As Sandy, our Innovations Manager, has said “It’s been a huge privilege to be conveying the beautiful messages that people are sending.”

We still have some Rainbows and we’d love to send them for you!

Please do get in touch and spread the message of hope and solidarity – empathy in a time of crisis.

Rainbow Empathy in a Time of Crisis – 7

Team Empathy Journal – Part 7

Continuing our blog about this time of global crisis from the perspective of a voluntary team, taking each day as it comes. Thank you for reading.

Last weekend saw the launch of our fabulous Rainbow Campaign. So many heart-warming words have come our way:

“These beaded curios take me right back to happy times … I would love to brighten up a little lonely low patch.”

“I wish I could send them across the world.”

One friend wrote to say how wonderful it was to be able to “shift mindsets with a simple trigger.”

As our Innovations Manager, Sandy says, “It’s been a huge privilege to be conveying the beautiful messages that people are sending.”

So it’s probably time to meet our Rainbow Makers … the Vashavi, the amazing artisans behind these symbols of hope.

Based in Cape Town, Patmore Mphepo and his team of 12 work from home – a house with two bedrooms (some of the artisans sleep in the sitting room). They start work each morning at 6am, crafting Rainbows and other gifts by hand. The best days are when an order is received. On other days, the craftsmen go out and sell what they’ve made on the streets. But selling like this is nigh on impossible with the current crisis, and life will become even harder in the coming months as Winter arrives in South Africa.

Patmore and his co-workers are from Zimbabwe, but came to South Africa with the aim of earning money to support their families, which is why “nothing makes us happier than having orders, meaning that our families are taken care of.”

Patmore continues, “Selling handicrafts makes a huge difference to our lives and that of our families. The money is spent on sending our kids to school. Some buy medication for their family members which is in short supply in Zimbabwe.”

The men take great pride in their craft, and are passing on their skills to younger people who have followed in their footsteps in search of a better life. They also love “putting smiles on our family members’ faces when they receive trinkets from us.”

We asked Patmore what his greatest fear is. He replied, “Going without work, knowing that at the end of the month we need to pay our rent and send groceries home to Zimbabwe.”

Patmore hopes that in the future he and his team, “might work from the comfort of our own country.”

He also hopes that the people who buy their gifts “know that they are making a difference not only to the artists but to their immediate families.”

If you would like to send a Rainbow to a special person you care about, we still have a few left. Thank you so much for your support.

Stay in touch, keep connected and take care of yourselves – and others.

#chooseempathy #rainbow #lockdownlove #hope #giftsthatgivetwice

Empathy in a Time of Crisis – 6

Team Empathy Journal – Part 6

Continuing our blog about this time of global crisis from the perspective of a voluntary team, taking each day as it comes. Thank you for reading.

As we all navigate these unprecedented times, we know it is the small things that make a difference to our week – the acts of kindness, the rainbows hanging in the windows as we walk by, the glimpse of familiar and beloved faces on Facetime and Zoom. Each of us has our own unique way of managing our days. This week, we thought we would take the opportunity to ask one of our brilliant volunteers, Janet, to share how she has been managing these last six weeks.

1. Where are you spending your lockdown?

At home with my husband of 38 years!

2. What is helping you navigate these difficult and unprecedented times?

Being with Hubby!

Lectio365 – Bible and prayer to start each day.

Spring awakening, birdsong,

Walking, gardening, keeping in touch with folks.

Managing anxiety by being careful not to OD on news, turning off technology, and escaping to National Theatre Live, Andrew Lloyd Webber The Show Must Go On and on Netflix, Ann with an E! Oh and cooking!!

3. Have there been highlights?

The weather, and the light on the spring flowers,

Lack of noise from Gatwick!

4. What has surprised you most?

How tired I’ve been and how long it’s taken to do things.

5. What are you most looking forward to when this time has passed?

* Seeing our sons and especially our new granddaughter.

* Other family and friends.

* Visiting National Trust gardens, art galleries and the beach.

* Driving through Europe or hoping on a plane to visit our sons in Germany and Spain!

6. What is your go-to lockdown book/podcast/movie/tv show?

Anne with an E on Netflix.

NT live.

7. Best lockdown larder tip?

* Pulses! Flexible, cheap and good for protein.

* Bulk cook and freeze.

8. How are you keeping in touch with friends and family?

Zoom

FaceTime

Skype

Telephone

Neighbours – socially distanced conversations out the front or over the fence.

Thank you so much, Janet.

Janet is one of our amazing Team Empathy volunteers and helps in our Poverty Trap and Desperate Journeys immersive experiences.

If you’re interested in helping us craft a little more empathy in the world then we’d love to speak to you!

Our small but wonderful team is made up of people like Janet, who believe in a world where people care deeply about each other and are moved to take compassionate action to help those less privileged than themselves.

Please do get in touch!

Stay in touch, keep connected and take care of yourselves – and others.

#chooseempathy #randomactsofkindness #radicalniceness

Empathy in a Time of Crisis – 5

Team Empathy Journal – Part Five.

Continuing our blog about this time of global crisis, from the perspective of a voluntary team, and on a more personal level. Thank you for reading.

Each day new numbers scroll on our screens. Each day new stories navigate their ways via every conceivable channel to reveal the people behind the numbers: individuals, families, business and nations – all affected in their own ways. There are tragedies and hardships, and fears with many faces. Narratives tug at our hearts and headlines fill our minds.

Occasionally different stories interrupt the contagion, and we remember that there are forms of suffering and moments of joy wholly untouched by the virus. But soon they go quiet to make space for fresh facts and figures that roll out the next day. The heavy loads of information can be overwhelming and leave us at a loss to know what to do.

As a team we keep in touch by telling smaller stories, sharing uplifting moments and pungent finds of wild garlic. Worries are aired, and efforts to raise money for those hardest hit by COVID-19 are applauded. This week we were happy to lend a hand to our Syrian friends when they moved home, and we try to flag up local businesses transforming themselves to survive at this time.

We are also talking about an exciting new Empathy Action project – our Rainbow Campaign, a coming together of ideas in the shape of a new product made by a small group of our friends in South Africa. A limited number of their beautiful symbol of hope will be available very soon!

Zooming in on the micro helps to absorb the magnitude of the macro. It also enables us to deal with the fact that we cannot help everyone all at the same time. John Steinbeck wrote in his Journal, “Try to understand each other … if you understand each other you will be kind to each other. Knowing a man well never leads to hate and nearly always leads to love.” If we start off by being kind to ourselves, we will gain the strength to understand and be kind to others, and from there empathy will surely continue to flow, from the micro to the macro.

Stay in touch, keep connected and take care of yourselves – and others.

#chooseempathy #randomactsofkindness #radicalniceness