My Communities

The best stories are generally those with which the audience feel a direct connection with the story. It hits differently. Nice one buddy

The story I found touching and powerful was about improving the quality of life for SOGIE person in Harare South Zimbabwe. The context was memorable, which spews the situation in which a young transgender in the community in which they are highly stigmatized and discriminated in her community and also very vulnerable to HIV infection because she cannot come out public and access health.

When I heard the story, I was moved and touched at the same time. The story portrayed the real situation in my community .

The story has transformed me from being negative to a positive minded person.

That is touching

That is touching

A story i found really powerful was of 3 children who walked over 8 kilometers to school because thier family had to move from their old abode to a much farther one out of town after they were ejected for not paying rent. The parents could not enroll them in any nearby schools becausze they did not have funds and the children were determined to get an education so they kept walking to their old school which was free as it was a social intervention program.

it made me give and want to keep on giving to ensure that they have money for transport and to eat.

The story I feel was memorable was of a young lady that was arrested for attempted kidnap. While in prison, she enrolled for a Bachelors in Law course and started working in prison. She explained the law to her different inmates who really appreciated her efforts. I felt emotionally happy because a person who was a criminal had transformed and was becoming a lawyer. The story made me believe that change is possible its just a matter of time

A story I found really powerful was written in the blog section of the Aggrey and Clifford's Tanzania website. The story was about a boy who moved with his family to another country in Africa. When the boy get there, he was admitted to one of the schools in the country where he met with fellow student whom was narrating a story about the tallest mountain in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro and how he and his family are adamant to visit the country where the giant mountain is located. The boy found himself into squabble which results into physical confrontation because he corrected the boy that the mountain was not in the country he said he was about to visit but the boy refused and called him liar It made me feel happy because it is the kind of the confrontation I encountered when I met with others when I tell the same story

A story i found powerful was the story about an individual on his first day of work, illustrating teamwork.

The story I found realy powerful is a story of a survivor of rape who went from struggling with suicide and pschological trauma to being a champion against rape culture. presntly she has supported ove 2000 survivors of child sexual abuse and rape. Supporting over 20 in continuing their education.

A story I found really powerful was the story of a young lady who defied the odds of her disadvantaged background and has become such an inspirational leader in the world today.
It made me feel like really nothing is impossible when a decision to break status quo is made by any person.
With this story, I knew I didn't have any excuse not to be the person I see myself becoming; if someone like that could break through and make something valuable of herself, then I can.
That young lady is Dr. Cindy Trimm!

Wow, well done!

This is really inspiring! Well done on taking action.

Thank you for sharing! This is wonderful and shows how a powerful story can stay with you for a long time.

A powerful story I heard was at a conference, of lady's experience with a sinking car with her family at risk of drowning. First they showed her story on video, and then we heard it first hand - which was really emotional and the atmosphere in the room was silent. It gave me motivation in my work and inspired me to do the best job I could do to assist the organisation in preventing similar critical situations.

A story I find really powerful (recently) is that of "Chess In Slums". An initiative by Tunde Onokoya to help raise young boys from under the bridge and slums of Lagos State, Nigeria, through the game of chess. It made me feel alive! It further affirmed my belief in the fact that chasing after your dream will give light to the reality of other peoples' dreams. Plus, the magical doings of the game of chess is beyond the board.

A story I found really powerful was about a transgender man dealing with his problems in his family. It made me feel deep about our mentality towards them and how they have to suffer due to our perception about them.

Such an inspiring story!

A story I found really powerful was this physiotherapist that worked for APAC (Association in Favor of People with Cerebral Palsy) for 40 years. I met her in my first day of work, she told me that although she is old enough to be retired, she stills goes to work everyday beacuse she loves doing it. She looked so happy yet humble. The way she aid this made me feel that she values her work, the institution and its beneficiaries. I felt enthusiast to start raising funds.

What a great story!

One of the stories I find memorable and sad was that of an innocent man who was a victim of Jungle justice in Aba, Nigeria. He was accused of stealing and burnt alive after which they found what he was accused of stealing in the shop of the accuser. His wife gave birth minutes after his death.

A story I found really powerful was about the story of a religious leader who supported internal displaced people residing in the church. The religious leader is prominent and easily heard by faith community in his surroundings. He was able to collect food items, closes and was able to provide without any discrimination to displaced people during the conflict in northern part of my country, Ethiopia. Both Christiania and Muslim immigrants were served equally. It made me feel very happy to see this religious leader serving internally displaced people while watching the war coming to his territory.

Interesting, well done!

A story I found really powerful was the case of a woman who was not allowed to continue her primary school education because she lost her dad and had to move in with her uncle who force her to get married an a tender age, despite the fact that she didn't complete her primary school education she was still able to read a little and communicate in some way of writing,it made me feel the need to always want to support disadvantaged kids to continue their education and not lose hope,also I found some people at my place of work who can't bargain well because they don't have a certificate or could read well,so they sign documents that ends up biting them in their ass

A story I found really powerful was the case of a woman who was not allowed to continue her primary school education because she lost her dad and had to move in with her uncle who force her to get married an a tender age, despite the fact that she didn't complete her primary school education she was still able to read a little and communicate in some way of writing,it made me feel the need to always want to support disadvantaged kids to continue their education and not lose hope,also I found some people at my place of work who can't bargain well because they don't have a certificate or could read well,so they sign documents that ends up biting them in their ass

A story I found really powerful was a story which was shared by an organisation which helps girls during the transition period from high school to tertiary institutions. The story is about a girl who soon after completing form 6 in a rural area in Zimbabwe decided to get married before the results were announced. She got married to a man who had not completed school and was employed as a cattle keeper. When the results were announced she had passed exeptionally well in her studies, she had 15 points, the highest possible achievement for form 6. The people working for the organisation got in touch with her to find out her next move only to hear that her husband would not allow her to go to university. The organisation went to the house to counsel the husband until he let her go. She got a full scholarships to study in Ghana and is about to complete her studies.
Now the husband, still in Zimbabwe rewrote his O levels and then wrote Alevels and passed and now awaits going to university as well. This story was touching to me because it made me realise how much guidance young women need at transitioning stage. This one girl was lucky because of the support which she had from the organisation. Some girls who maynot be so lucky lose out on the opportunity for a better future. The speaker was the counselor who dealt with the matter and she spoke from the heart. I will do so in my own storytelling.

NB. 15 points is the highest possible achievement for students who would have written 3 subjects

A story found to be really powerful is that of creation and the fact that all the incredible construction was put under the care of a man this story may sound strange to some but the enormosith of it influence has changed my thinking and influenced my actions in the past years.

An inspiring story to say the least, love how women are becoming more independent although this is not to support the absurd claims of some but hey a nice world will be formed when the creative juice of the gender is considered to be capable in our now society.
#BreakTheBias

A story I found really powerful was a story about a grandson that asked his grandpa how it feels to be in a 63 year long relationship with his grandma. His grandfather answered it felt like I have been with 8 different woman and I loved all 8 versions of her. A person changes/grows over the years, but if you give eachother the freedom to be who you are/want to be you can grow together. It made me feel heart warmed, because it showed me that love indeed can be forever.

I've told a story frequently about a man who was homeless. In the years prior to his homelessness, he'd lost his nephew, father, mother, had a stroke, and lost his wife 3 days prior to coming to our rescue mission. To top it all off, his children told him they weren't going to help him and he needed to "figure it out". This story is of a man I met and spoke with personally. His life story made me feel so much pain for him; especially the tears in his eyes as he told it. It caused me to realize that the stereotypical homeless person who is a drug-addict, low-life is not an accurate one. These are real people, with real issues, who need real help. I've been compelled to love them even in their brokeness.

A story I found really powerful was that of Virginia Burton. It made me feel a myriad of emotions - pensive from the strong doses of resilience and hope amid impossibilities, happiness that in the end, self-love prevailed, and sadness for all the struggles she went through first.

I do love reading her story for it sends a clear message to the humanity - that it is possible to be sober regardless of the addiction source. This prompted and allowed me then to be more vulnerable, reachable, and understanding to anyone for behind the smiles, laughter, tears, and apathy, a person is trying to survive at the very least.

A story I found really powerful was about children who live in poverty, and how they starve for days to weeks. They have to eat from trash or leftovers from restaurants. It made me feel emotional, because of how much they have to go through just for a meal, and here we all are, being picky of what we eat and wasting tons of food just because we're 'full', not thinking about how many children pray just to have a small portion of food every day

A touching story of an old man of over 70 years who recently graduated from high school in the US.
It humbled me and gave a fresh perspective about life. Through the story I saw resilience and the power in commitment and passion for achievement. Even age could not bar him from attaining his childhood dream.

A story I found really powerful was about how inner beauty is shown outside. I felt happy that ugly people are not discriminated against, but are supported.

A story that i found really powerful was a story of a garbage collector. This man was under looked by a lot of people in the community because of the way he dressed not to forget the kind of work he did. however whoever could hear about the story of how hardworking and full of wealth he is, could change their perspective about him. Many young men have changed their perception about jobs: they have begun to believe that no matter what kind of work you do, you can always make a financial difference.

This story made me feel how powerful a story can be when it comes to social impact.

The story that I found most compelling was about increasing farmer yield. As an agriculture practitioner, I find it heartwarming to add small-scale farmers' yield, income, and food security at home. The best part is how emotional they are about their increased yield, income, and food security. This motivates me to use my agricultural knowledge to assist them, as well as to do more for my community and to improve the lives of others.

A story I heard that I found very powerful was the story of the Be The Change club. It is a club based in a high school that brings refugee students together to learn more about one another's traditions and heritage. I never looked at others as being different by nationalities. This story opened my mind to what refugee children go through to feel included. I felt empathy for their struggles, but overwhelming joy for the way they have chosen to overcome the gaps.

A story I really found powerful was of a friend who lost her mother and since she was out of the country. She couldn't pay her last respects to the mother.
Going through the agony, friends distancing themselves from her, she believed it was the end of it all.
As time passed by, she had to get out of her sorrow and move on as no one was willing to stand with her for that long.
When she got back to herself, she chose not to see the same pain in other people. She made it a point to comfort those who have lost loved ones through a healing therapy of art and Theatre.

It made me feel emotional, the desire to stand by those who have lost a loved one and comfort them.

A story I found really powerful was about a rural school where the children in that school attend classes but they not learning anything. It made me feel sad.

A story I found really powerful was about a girl who got involved in drug abuse due to negative peer pressure and growing up in a vulnerable community. She ended up in a borstal institution where she received Transformative Behavioural Training, and after her release, she committed to mentoring other young girls. It made me feel inspired and believe in the power of second chances. It compelled me to suggest a campaign of promoting "second chances," for previously incarcerated youth.

A few years ago, I saw a child animation video based on self-love. There was a young girl who had very natural curly hair that she could never get under control. Her father did the best he could to do her hair but he was giving up. The moral of the story was to be patient with what is "different" and that beauty is still possible. That animation was so powerful I felt that it sent multiple messages, such as self-love also inspires self confidence. I was moved by it because I had students struggling with self-confidence and I always tried to teach them self-love. But I felt like words weren't enough and this video said it all for me. So I showed it to my students who were struggling with loving their natural curly hair so it could inspire them as well.

Oh wow! That's amazing, thank you for sharing!

A story I found really powerful was the one I wrote about Nar Begum.
She is one of the oldest shepherdesses to reach the highlands of Shimshal Pamir in Pakistan. Away from her village for five months, she goes to the summer pastures with her own animals and those of the villagers who can no longer go up or who are busy with other work. Life is hard up there in the stone huts. There is no wood at 4500m altitude and one has to adapt to the acrid smoke emanating from the stove, which is essential to keep warm after the wind coming down from the glacier and to prepare a very basic food. In this pure but hostile environment, the weather is capricious and the four seasons often occur in the same day. Social life is reduced to rare exchanges with the few shepherdesses who, like her, still go up for the grazing period, but the pastoral activity and the early night leave little time for distractions. Nar Begum plays her wooden harp for a few moments before murmuring: "Some of my friends are not healthy enough to come, others are gone forever. As for me, God only knows!"

This story filled me with a feeling of nostalgia (a bit like the Natsukashii of the Japanese) with this tradition that is disappearing. But it also filled me with motivation and courage in front of these women who have nothing but their animals and who, in order to survive, make abnegation of the danger of the mountain and the very difficult climatic conditions.

the best story was an intro of a telecommunication programme campaign to hire women who have left their careers long time ago to take care of their children and since am a mother myself and struggling with my career it was personally touching and relatable and the idea itself was the first of its own where I live.

The story i found really powerful was the story of the blind woman who could write books for change and peace for his country. This showered me that this lady was a true nationalist had love for the education system in her country even when she could note see.

There is a story I read about a single father who had been involved in a bad traffic accident which led to his right leg being amputated. He was a motorbike rider ferrying people from place to place to earn a living for his family. He was hospitalized and the hospital bills took all his savings. Then he lost his wife and an auctioneer seized his household items because of rent arrears.
He lost everything.
Later, a humanitarian organization paid for him to get a prosthetic leg and sent him to a technical school to do a course in metal welding.
They later gave him some equipment to start off his own workshop and now, he is able to take care of his daughter and elderly mother.

For me, a recent powerful story was that of a department leader who has a serious problem with considering another staff perspective approach for better outcomes. The CEO of the company recognized this as a serious issue that could have an impact on the department's productivity. He called the Department Leader into his office and handed him a stapler and some papers to staple together to create a document. The man began to staple some of the papers together, but not all of them. He threw away papers that wouldn't staple together, and this continued for some time. When his boss became aware of this, he inquired as to why he was disposing of so much paper. He said, "That the papers were not good," but the boss replied, "But why didn't you check the stapler if the issue was it?"

The man followed this advice and checked the stapler. Fortunately, the problem was with the stapler, and if fixed properly, all of the paper will be used rather than thrown away. The Boss had to use this scenario to explain to him that in order to achieve the best possible result, all perceptions and approaches must be modified. No knowledge is a waste, and drops of water combine to form an ocean.

This story is so memorable to me because it taught me the fundamentals of teamwork and taught me to be open and approachable to new ideas and people.

A story I found really powerful was about a friend who copelled me to go see someone who is able to help people finding job quickly. He convinced me thanksto a story about someone else who stayed more than years longer looking for a new position but got one just after coming back from that person he told me about.

During the past few years with COVID-19 locking down much of the world and forcing people to get vaccinated or loose their jobs, I found it really encouraging that here in Australia on the Gold Coast, we had several cafes and restaurant that had the courage to go against the grain and refuse to fire their staff and refuse to only serve vaccinated people as per government mandates (not law), as this was (and still is) pure discrimination. One of the cafes were repeatedly targeted by police as they refused to discriminate, and through social media enough people gathered every day around the café, essentially blocking police to come in and enforce the mandates.
I found it amazing and powerful that people would spend their time protecting a company that in turn stood up against discrimination. It made me feel hopeful for the future that there are still a lot of people out there that want freedom and equal opportunity for all.

A story I found really powerful was the story of my father. It made me feel inspired. He had lost his father when he was seven and he was brought up by his mother with his three sibblings. He started his career living on the road sides and reading news papers and using those newspapers to sleep at night he did odd jobs to finance his studies. He became a great social worker through his hard work and created lasting impacts on the lives of many people in Sri Lanka.

What made this story so memorable for you
What did you feel, emotionally, when you heard this story?
What did this story compel you to do, if anything, that might have been more than you would normally do?
Share this story and how it made you feel with your peers. Then, read about the other amazing stories that your peers have experienced, and respond to at least one of their posts.

“A story I found really powerful was an incident happened in the life of my mother. It made me feel adventure and heroic feeling in me ."
The story made me to be brave until this day. Once my mother had got down from a bus after her work to reach home. As it was midnight

One of my favorite stories goes as followed:
"Once upon a time, there was an old man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach every morning before he began his work. Early one morning, he was walking along the shore after a big storm had passed and found the vast beach littered with starfish as far as the eye could see, stretching in both directions.

Off in the distance, the old man noticed a small boy approaching. As the boy walked, he paused every so often and as he grew closer, the man could see that he was occasionally bending down to pick up an object and throw it into the sea. The boy came closer still and the man called out, “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?”

The young boy paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean. The tide has washed them up onto the beach and they can’t return to the sea by themselves,” the youth replied. “When the sun gets high, they will die, unless I throw them back into the water.”

The old man replied, “But there must be tens of thousands of starfish on this beach. I’m afraid you won’t really be able to make much of a difference.”

The boy bent down, picked up yet another starfish and threw it as far as he could into the ocean. Then he turned, smiled and said, “It made a difference to that one!”

A story that was really powerful for me was a story about eagle that was raised as a chicken. He wanted to be a good chicken but his nature wouldn't allow that. It made me realize that people raised in certain societies are not always meant to be a part of it but they should forge their own path. The story was liberating.

The story of an orphaned girl who lost her mom at the age of 5 and went to live with her grandmother but she often went hungry and struggled with other basic needs emotionally touched my heart and I stood to her and get all the necessities of life.

This is a story about a manager and a subordinate.In our pharma field those days people do survey with chemists.But many representatives do not note the details.His manager was fedup telling the same thing many times. Oneday the manager brought one book and started noting down the details without telling anything during joint work.This has forced subordinate to follow the instruction.

The story of women who are abused in marriages by their husbands has a huge emotional impact on me

There is one story I keep thinking about every day. It is the story of "Women in Hebron" a community of women in Hebron. In 2005, Nawal Slemiah founded Women in Hebron to provide women in the Hebron district with resources to support themselves and their families by selling Palestinian handicrafts. All this when their country was fighting sumud (steadfastness). It made me feel that as a woman I can do a lot with my abilities even if it means having to battle it out in a male-dominated industry.

there are many stories that will move you to action, the mains thing to me is that the subjects of the story are ok with sharing it

I work in education and have had the opportunity to be present for interviews with teachers and students at a school that has integrated our mindfulness and wellness practices into their classrooms. The most memorable parts of the videos we created from these interviews are the elementary-aged students speaking about their experiences--how they'd feel frustrated, sad, or anxious about a test until taking a minute to focus on their breathing and reset. When a child tells an emotional story, it comes off as more authentic and sincere, and it personally makes me feel more hopeful for the future. It should compel others to consider these practices for themselves, as well as to listen more intently for the wisdom in the voices and stories of children.

Love this story and metaphor!

A story I found really powerful was that when Mr. Ratan Tata (TATA Group) went to visit to automobile giant FORD to propose sale of TATA's Car Division in India, he was met with humiliation & ridicule from their chairman. After the meeting, he decided not to sell the division & instead, to work harder on the Car Division.

After about a decade's time, he took his revenge. The FORD Group was on brink of bankruptcy & the TATA Group helped them pull out of it by buying the "Jaguar-Landrover" brand from FORD. Ford's chairman had to publicly thanked Mr. Ratan Tata for such purchase.
The story doesn't end here as the TATA Group was able to turnaround the purchased brands & made it a successful venture.

It made me feel optimistic & that we should not be deterred by other's opinion, rather we should focus on ourselves.

This is an excellent example of the power of stories! We might think losing an arm or leg might end a happy and meaningful life for many. However, reading stories on how amputees use prosthetic arms and legs can create opportunities for them to live meaningful lives as such inspiring stories can give people a reason to be hopeful.

The Covid-19 situation has impacted schools and children worldwide. Schools in Bangladesh reopened on September 12 2021, after 543 days of closure, as the country’s virus situation eases and more people are vaccinated. Many news portals and the media focused on the number of school closure days. This led to people knowing that schools were closed but unaware of its impact on the classrooms, teachers, and students. Hence, I started sharing stories from our teachers and students about how they stayed connected to studies during school closure and how much effort they put into ensuring less learning loss. These stories shared by real people made people realise the severe impact the Covid-19 pandemic had on our education system. By sharing real-life stories in our crowdfunding campaigns, we have successfully motivated donors and reached all the crowdfunding goals.

The story I found really powerful was “The Sleepy Hollow” and it made me feel “Energized”.

A story I found really powerful was a church massacre that happen in my country, that left 3 children of the same parent an orphan. Listening to their story made me feel sorry and sad. That I really wish I can help them.

So touching. The power of love and sacrifice.

I found really powerful a story when it comes to thriving. It makes me feel hopeful.

The story of an orphan girl that I told to my audiences to raise funds

a story i found really powerful is the creation story in the bible because it is mysterious and supernatural while trying to give us an explanation of how the world began

A story I found really powerful was about young children pursuing their dreams with limited resources. It made me feel hopeful about the future.

A story I found powerful was of a young child starting school without being able to read and having no books at home. I felt his struggle to understand and catch up with others, and gratitude for my own ability to read and how I was encouraged at home. The story was relatable and moved me to buy a 'Reader Starter Kit' for moms and young children, through the city library.

I like that you included the person's name - makes the story more human and compelling.

I believe the stories we tell have great impact on our listeners. The same way, the stories we listen to have great impact on our lives as well. A story that motivated me was a story of a young school girl who did not like going to school because her peers teased her for coming to school with a tattered uniform but after an NGO stepped in and gave her just a school uniform, she never missed school. Her story taught me that we do not really need to do great things to change lives rather the littles things we do in great ways will change lives for the better

This is really interesting and its great that you allowed yourself to be moved by this story.

well done Swatil. Its great to be successful in our endeavors. I wish you more success ahead.

@andishanti said in Module 1 Discussion: The Power of Stories:

What made this so memorable for me is that a bond will never broken, it made me feel as if i am the one in the story after i read the story, this story did compel me to do good thing and believe in miracle and good luck.

Good

Right I think same

A story that i found powerful was that of young girls who would not attend school when they would experience their monthly menstrual cycles as a result of not affording sanitary towels. What also moved me was that they would go to the extreme of selling their bodies to older men in order to afford the sanitary towels. It made me feel sad because i did put myself in their position and that is when i made a decision to reach out to the government offices and make the story known through my social media platforms.

A story that I heard is that of my mother, she told me how difficult it was for her when she carried me, and that my father asked her to abort me. This story gives me so much strength to work to become someone useful, it gives me strength to help others too and I realize how important my life is and how much also my mother loves me.

A story I found really powerful was the trafficking of disabled children from Tanzania to Kenya. It made me feel sad and angry at the same time. Given an opportunity, I would like to help save them and return them back to their beloved families.

A story I found was really powerfully was of this guy who had completed his campus as an engineer, he had no place he could get a job, this forced him to work in a restaurant as a cleaner and cook as he could do this daily, he could usually take the left overs at home for his dog every evening and he could do this daily after work for good months, the manager was fine with it for the boy to take these left overs for his dog as he was a good and obedient worker but little did he know that these left overs where supper and dinner for this young man as he had no dog and slept down town in ghettos, this young man did this for survival, luck combined with Gods grace combined, hotels electrician was ill and didn't appear to repair what was to be repaired, with his knowledge the young man intervened and repaired all that was required perfectly and the boss was happy and the young man did this for part time, as per now the young man is happily married with two kids as a district engineer, It made me feel attached emotionally as a young university student who was pursuing my bachelors and also motivated me to keep going hard not to give up.

A story I found really powerful was about the plight of pregnant teenage girls that had no place to call home after being thrown out by their parents and relatives. Listening to their stories made me feel a sense of responsibility towards their situation. Hence, I started a shelter for teenage girls. This shelter caters for different categories of girls. They include, pregnant teenage girls, run away teenage girls due to violence or harsh cultural norms like female genital mutilation/cutting, and school dropout girls.
We take these girls through mentorship, guidance & counselling, and capacity building to enhance their skill set. We hope do to more in the future and even include the boys in our programs.

A story I really found powerful was about a bright young lady whom I initially found attractive upon seeing her because of her grace and intelligence. She told me about how she was birthed out of wedlock and how her present family took her in as their own. Immediately, the likeness I had for her grew into extreme love and compassion.

Wow such a captivating story and a tremendous reaction. I love the fact that you intend to include the boys because they are mostly the once who abuse the girls. I want to believe this is due to their background, environment and upbringing. sensitizing them when they are young will be instrumental in reducing the cases of abuse on the females.

A story I found powerful was that of a widow who was hospitalized due to a terminal illness she had that lingered for over 2 decades. she was unable to function normally in the society, get a job and take care of her 3 children as a result of which her children dropped out of school and have since then been able to acquire any formal education.
This made me feel pity for the family and I had to start up a campaign in the community to raise funds and settle her hospital bills.

Research tells us that when a story effectively transports us into the world of its characters, it can actually change our beliefs and willingness to act. Furthermore, when selecting the right story, we need to make sure the emotions it elicits connect to our impact goals. And I feel like the more people share stories the more they inspire each other.

The story is very impressive and motivating. It made me feel touched. He thought very much about his future.

A story that i found really impactful for me was the author of harry potter.

A story I found powerful was one told to me recently. At a nonprofit annual gala, one that helped people through addiction recovery, and older gentleman stood up. He said all his life he'd tried to do it his way. But the day he walked through the nonprofit's doors he surrendered. Just surrendered it all. He figured after 68 years, his way obviously wasn't working and he was going to let someone else tell him how to do it.

It was told with humor, but it also sort of spoke to something in myself, too. I think we can all remember some time when we just banged our head against the wall over and over. What it made me feel, was empathy, and even a little bit of wisdom that I was privileged to be party to.

I can see how this story moved you to act. It could happen to any of us. Sometimes I think the power of stories is it wakes us up to how others, that face hard times, simply had a different circumstance than ourselves. Thank you for sharing!

A mother elephant stuck herself in a hole, for days, to milk her toddler elephant, which had fallen into the hole.

Villegers learned about that and worked together to save the elephants.

It made me feel happy and touched.

A story I found really powerful was the Cheshire Homes. Captain Leonard Cheshire was one of the team members of the infamous Hiroshima, Nagasaki bombings during the world war II. After seeing the horrific scenes of the after effects of atomic bombs, he became a philanthropist.
In of the wars, Leonard Cheshire took a dying man, who had nowhere else to go, into his home. Leonard nursed the man himself in his home of Le Court in Hampshire. They became friends and this act of kindness prompted more people to go to Leonard for help. People were keen to share a home with others and support each other.

He later started the chains of homes called Cheshire Homes across the globe.

His story made me feel about the importance of helping a physically/mentally challenged person and lead me to closely involved with this organisation in Bangalore from last couple decades.

I’ve seen a brand called Phool Co. tell a great story. Its about how tons of flowers offered by devotees in temples end up polluting rivers and how this company collects temple flowers and makes incense sticks and other luxury scents from them.
The fact that it is connected to flowers, something so pretty converted to an incense stick in my house, sounds like a great idea to me instead of it going to the rivers to pollute the water.
What emotionally appealed to me was how the company employs women who were earlier engaged in manual scavenging. They now deal with flowers, make amazing fragrant things with flowers, that too flowers which to them are holy because they’re temple flowers. It is the exact opposite of what they were doing earlier, a complete transformation of their lives.
I started researching more about this company after seeing their Instagram posts. Their posts had artwork, amazing artwork about powerful women, about mother nature. They made colourful illustrations and wrote description about the illustrations, which tied the pictures to bigger concepts such as feminism, nature and artistic power.

A story i found really powerful was the story of an Abandoned Baby in a pit hole which made me feel devastated . that morning on the 5 of August 2022 ,in the early hours of the day in a neighbouring community where members of that house were all standing and some where crying while others whispered about the shocking discovery . I was still in my bed when i heard a sudden knock at my door i gently woke up and reached to open my door to see who was knocking and why . That was when i heard one my neighbour shouting and crying in despair and pain , I was confused at first but later understood what the scenario was about . Behold an abandoned baby was found in a pit hole behind a house .

Few days back, I have seen a video where there's a guy walking down the street and passing by many strangers who daily works there.
The way the people were looking at that guy is like they are not comfortable in welcoming someone new to their area.
The guy notices the expressions of the people.
The very next day he decides to do small good deeds without expecting any appreciation in return.
The guy starts helping old people cross roads, saying hi to everyone with a broad smile, watering the plants of the area and so more.
Days passed and one day the rude expressions of the people melted when the guy was in need and looking sad.
The people consoled him offered him food and had a conversation with him to comfort him.

This story left a huge impact on me that being good at heart is all that matters.
Doing good brings good to you when needed.

I really found it nice that this story is motivating people to help more and more people.
Literally, there is no age or time to bring change, change whenever you feel and the world will be there to support.

A few years ago, there was a story I heard of a baby boy who'd been terribly ill for majoritiy of his short life. To help improve his condition, he needed to have surgery out of the country. Considering this was a major, complicated surgery, the costs involved were incredibly high, so his family set up a Gofund me online. Just reading about everything this boy had been through in his short life broke my heart. I made a donation to the campaign, and then I started gathering money as well from my family and friends around me as more of a donation. This was the first time I had ever donated to a Gofund me - one I'll never forget.

That's incredible!

I would like to share the story of June, a baby elephant, who lost his toes and his family. June
was found and rescued by York Don, Vietnam, in early 2015. When found, Jun was still trapped in a snare despite repeated attempts to escape and suffered a severely injured front leg and trunk. Jun's toes and part of his heel had to be amputated due to infection, and his trunk was permanently damaged.

Do you know elephants are one of the most intelligent and affectionate animals on the planet? With bright eyes and a beautiful pair of tusks, Jun could have lived happily in the wild as a mighty herd leader. But now, he has to live in the Rescue Centre and can never return to the wild.

Are you willing to take action to stop loggers and protect elephants like June?

A story I found really powerful was that of a woman who literally lost everything due to issues beyond her control and had to start her life afresh after. It made me feel sad, and see the need to be grateful for even the little things you had. She was getting her life back together when I spoke to her but she looked very happy and was grateful for where her life was at. It made me see the need to kinder to people. You do not know what they have been through. It made also decide to give more in my own way.