Click red link below to see TV interview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hd_G3djes54
IMkind started with just two ordinary guys, Greek Cypriots Alex Soteriades and Nick Kyriakides, with the hunger and aspiration for changing the world. How, you might ask? Well, it’s always been in their nature to be kind wherever and whenever possible.
Can kindness be defined? Alex explained, “We don’t think it can, a kind act can be anything you want it to be, but the great thing is it can be absolutely free. We believe kindness leads to so many great opportunities; it creates love, changes moods and helps shape societies.”
Nick added, “We want to create a ripple effect, paying it forward if you like. We want to inspire people every day to help themselves and others, we want to strengthen communities and educate the youth. There is too much talking in this world and not enough listening. We believe that you must give to receive, and by giving an abundance of kindness to others, can only breed positivity in others. Finally, our goal is not to live forever but to create something that will.”
In their own words, Alex and Nick speak here about their experience in an orphanage in Peru, South America, the people they met and how they changed their lives….
During our time in Peru, we thought a lot about the power of love. Love is the greatest gift you can give someone, it really is, we were all born to love and we are all made to love. We always spoke about this but even we didn’t know what it meant until we saw these kids. They are full of life because they are full of love and they are happy because they are part of a community, a brotherhood. Before the orphanage, these boys had nothing, their parents gave them up; Stories of dysfunctional families were floating around – alcohol/drug abuse, parents that get so drunk they bag their kids and chuck them in the river.
Conversely, we heard stories of extreme poverty, where families couldn’t afford to feed, clothe and provide shelter for them, the basic necessities we take for granted at home. Every day the orphan’s routine would be to wake up at 6am, get dressed, have tea and bread and sit around the table downstairs. The elder brothers would read from the Bible and educate them on respect, love etc. They would then pray and some would disperse to school whilst others would stay and clean the orphanage, cook and maintain. These were chores that most kids nowadays would moan to heaven and earth about. For the orphans, this was the little price they had to pay to stay and it was amazing to see this level of discipline.
Nevertheless, these kids were always smiling and happy; we never saw not even one kid being defiant or upset. What have they got to be so happy about you might be thinking? They are happy because they are grateful, grateful for the things they possessed e.g. food, shelter, clothes, hot water, a hat, a book, anything which might seem of little importance to us.
The children at the orphanage showed us that a book and a pencil was enough to make them happy for our whole trip. “Brother, brother,” I would hear every morning, “today you teach?” This would bring a smile every morning. We took a couple of lessons there completely off the cuff because we had no idea what to expect. We started with basic English and then moved on to some questions. We were curious to hear what made these kids happy.
We took one lesson on ‘happiness’ – “what makes you happy?” we wrote on the board. Now being a teacher back home, I could probably guarantee at least 80% of the students I teach would probably in unison say computer games, mobile phones, social networks, parties etc. We asked these kids and waited anxiously for their response. At first, there was a language barrier but soon after some body language and visual aids, we got some compelling answers. “Ma famila, Dios, Educacion, respecdo” (Family, God, Education, Respect.)
Learning seems to be very important all around South America. In the slums they have a saying ‘Saber Mas Es Ser Mas Libre’ which means ‘To know more is to be free’. In other words, these kids are trapped in a poverty driven cycle. The only way out is to educate themselves, their minds, to aspire to be something. Even with all the odds stacked against them these boys are trying and that is what is so amazing.
We also tried to get involved in other activities such as football, guitar lessons, arts and crafts. We met a boy called Hugo there who picked us up from the airport. He told us that he has been at the orphanage since he was 9 and is now 23 studying law. Whilst there, we passed a courthouse and he said very enthusiastically “one day I am going to work there.” You can’t buy that level of passion and drive here because we have so many opportunities to do things, over there they probably have one chance, one shot and then on to the next one.
We also witnessed a lot of poverty; young boys and girls literally selling moldy fruit on the street, women with their babies tied to their back selling little ornaments, trying to make ends meet. In the poorest parts, near the slums, dump trucks would unload waste in the street and people would consume it with their bare hands. We would pass the market in the taxi on our way into the main square and the stench of raw meat would hit us hard. But even with all this floating around, we would still receive that infectious Peruvian smile wherever we went. People were so friendly, so loving. Most of them were not interested in riches, status or glam they were more interested in how they were going to feed their kids tomorrow and the kids were just appreciative of anything you gave them.
Whatever profession you are in or choose to be in, inspire people. We have all been given the tools and the blueprints to do this, it’s just that some people cannot see it…..yet! We don’t believe we were given shoes to walk in, we were given shoes to leave footprints on the people we have touched. We want to inspire you all to go out and help others wherever you are right now, make a decision tomorrow to do something great for someone. After all, what do you want to be remembered for when you die? What will your legacy be? I know what ours will be. We want to be known for changing the world… bold statement I know, hard to believe, maybe, but the greatest people who once lived on this Earth started from somewhere. We were not put on this planet to be ordinary, we were put here to do extraordinary things.
Get IMkind trending!
Call us crazy, but why do we have trends like tweaking and Harlem Shakes when we can have something that brings communities together, that empowers people and creates awareness. Has this never crossed your mind? We want to start a new trend. So we challenge you to a random act of kindness a day, this could be anything from helping a homeless person to opening the door for someone. Every time you perform a random act, just link it to @IMkinduk and tell us about the experience or even upload a picture, anything you want, get in touch! Make someone’s day today, share your kind act with someone and feel good.
Website – www.imkind.co.uk
Email: info@imkind.co.uk
Twitter: @IMkinduk
Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/IMkind