K is definitely the business man in the family - when he was 5, he asked the owner of the corner store near our house if we could sell cupcakes (and then money would go to buy a toy piano he had his eyes set on for a couple of months). She said yes and so began our first business together. Last summer, K had the idea of selling fruits and vegetables near our corner store - I knew that wouldn't work in Dushanbe, but I encouraged him to think and plan it out. He made signs, talked about his ideas and continued to ask me when we would start this business. Instead of stomping on the idea that I knew wouldn't work (no foreigner sells things on the street in Tajikistan), I decided to re-shift his thinking and asked him to consider selling things at his school and donating the money to a good cause. He was super excited and began planning a "donation drive."
For about a month, K planned his donation drive every evening after school - he put all his notes in a folder, brainstormed ideas and wrote up to-do-lists. Following an afternoon walk to the grocery store, K came home and said he wanted to write an email to his school director to talk about his idea.
For about a month, K planned his donation drive every evening after school - he put all his notes in a folder, brainstormed ideas and wrote up to-do-lists. Following an afternoon walk to the grocery store, K came home and said he wanted to write an email to his school director to talk about his idea.
The director invited him to a restaurant for a lunch meeting during the fall break. K shared his ideas, went through his folder, and the director listened. She talked about making his idea a reality and involving the school in a winter bazaar. K was super excited and continued planning with so much energy and passion - it was all he ever talked about. Teachers from his school came to our house for a planning meeting, the kids brought donations to school and we were in full swing for the winter bazaar.
The day came and K was super excited. The weather was beautiful and the crowd was excited and supportive. The kids sold the food their parents made and the holiday cards they made in art class..it was a great event. We raised about 140 USD! The money and donations went to a local soup kitchen run by the Sisters of Charity chapter in Tajikistan.
K's passion for helping people less fortunate was contagious during the winter bazaar. K's hard work paid off. He taught me that no matter how small you are, you can make a difference in people's lives.
