July 30 is International Day of Friendship. A time to acknowledge and celebrate the important role friends play in our lives. As our ‘chosen family,’ these individuals are with us through good times and bad. And together we build both cherished and unbreakable bonds.
The children at Rafiki Mwema are with us to heal. Furthermore, they are here for their safety and protection while they go through the court process to bring the perpetrator to justice. While with us, we provide our children with the love and stability required to reboot their feelings of safety and security. The children are close throughout this journey. Subsequently, they rely on each other and are each other’s chosen family. Above all, they are friends.
Benefits of friendship
We love and admire the friendships our children forge. It is beautiful to witness and incredible to see our children learning to trust others again. This is an important step on their healing journey.
The benefits of friendship are undeniable and the list is long. Here are a few of our favourites:
- Friends help us interact, showing us how to forgive, laugh, make conversation and even resolve conflict in a positive way;
- They support us through difficult times and show us that we are not alone;
- Friends have a positive impact on our mental health by helping to relieve stress and making us laugh;
- They provide us with the opportunity to develop empathy and become more supportive and compassionate in response.
About International Day of Friendship
Held each year on July 30, International Day of Friendship was first proclaimed in 2011 by the UN General Assembly. The idea was that friendship between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities.
Our world faces many challenges, crises and forces of division that undermine peace, security, development and social harmony. These challenges include poverty, violence and human rights abuses among many others. We must address the root causes of these issues to confront them. A way to do this is to promote and defend a shared spirit of human solidarity through friendship.
Through friendship we can contribute to the fundamental shifts that are urgently needed to achieve lasting stability, weave a safety net that will protect us all, and generate passion for a better world where all are united for the greater good.
(Source: United Nations)
We thank you for being a friend of Rafiki Mwema today and every day. Moreover, you can discover more about our family HERE.
