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A Day with the Flood Volunteers

Last February, heavy rain flooded several streets in our neighbourhood. When the water finally went down, mud covered the houses, and families needed help to clean them. My classmates and I joined a volunteer group on Sunday morning.

We gathered at the community hall at seven, where the group leader, Ms Rukmini, gave us a short briefing. "Safety first," she said. "Wear boots and gloves, drink water often, and never carry heavy furniture alone." She divided us into four teams: one for clearing mud, one for washing household items, one for carrying belongings, and one for cooking meals for the volunteers.

I was in the mud team. At first, we worked quickly, but after an hour my arms were so tired that I could hardly lift the shovel. An old man whose house we were cleaning noticed this. He did not say anything. He simply brought me a glass of warm tea. That small act made me feel stronger than any speech.

By two o'clock, we had cleaned five houses. The families thanked us again and again, although we felt that we had done very little. One woman gave each of us a small packet of fried banana. "It's all I can give," she said. We ate them on the steps, and they tasted better than any meal I had ever had.

On the way home, I realised something. Volunteering is not about being a hero. It is about showing up, doing small tasks, and trusting that many small hands can lift a heavy load.

Why did the glass of tea make the writer feel "stronger than any speech"?