Little ones doing little things, little ones doing big things
Publish date 14-02-2023
October 24 was United Nations Day, an international anniversary that commemorates the entry into force of their Charter in 1945. To celebrate it, here in Jordan, an event was organized which was attended by all the agencies of the UN present in the country and various representatives of the institutions and the royal house. A couple of weeks before the event we received a phone call from the World Health Organization in Jordan, with whom we have collaborated on various projects in the field of mental health and support for the disabled, who proposed us to participate in this day under their patronage.
They offered us to display at their table the products we make in the professional training workshops and to participate in the opening ceremony with a musical performance by our children and teenagers. We said yes with some trepidation because it was the first public outing after the pandemic and two weeks to prepare wasn't too long... but it immediately seemed too precious an opportunity to miss. And so it was: a day full of amazement. As soon as we arrived we discovered that the WHO table was entirely dedicated to the Arsenale dell'Incontro because each agency had chosen one of the associations with which it collaborates to represent it and they had chosen us! Not only that... after a while we understood that our dance would be the only performance of the opening ceremony, preceded by speeches by the UN representative in Jordan and Her Royal Highness Princess Dina Mired. A dance that spoke of peace, of a united world and of diversity which can be the greatest wealth; she did it through the words of the song that accompanied her but above all through the living testimony of our boys.
It was certainly they who gave us and all those present the greatest amazement and emotion: not only were they really excellent in dancing and singing and in their presence at the table in the bazaar, but they even moved in a space they had never seen and in the midst of many people they didn't know with the ease they have here at the Arsenale and the naturalness of someone who feels at home. They visited the various stands, approached almost all the authorities to greet them in person and presented the Arsenale dell'Incontro to practically everyone present, showing the products they made full of satisfaction. Their presence struck and intrigued several people from the various agencies and others who happened to pass by and who wanted to get to know the boys and us better.
Many have told us that they will come to visit us and have expressed the desire to collaborate with us. But beyond how it will go with these new friends, the naturalness of these little ones who know how to talk to a volunteer like with the princess, who dance in front of hundreds of people and institutions as well as in front of their families and who, if loved and encouraged, feel at home anywhere has certainly already left its mark on the hearts of many, including ours. Little ones doing little things, little ones doing big things.
Arsenal of the Encounter
NP November 2022