What happens when you give a group of developers some hammers, paintbrushes, and paint? Magic, that's what!

There's a common misconception that software developers spend all their time typing away in front of a screen, refusing to go outside. We at ReversingLabs aim to challenge such assumptions, and prove them wrong - not just in words, but in action. When we can combine that with activities that give back to the community, no one's happier than us!

That is why we partnered with SOS Children's Village Croatia for a corporate volunteering event, which took place in Lekenik, a SOS Children's Village not far from Zagreb.

The SOS Children's Village Croatia is an organization established in 1992 with the purpose of caring for abandoned and orphaned children. The organization provides housing, healthcare, education, and everything else that's necessary to ensure a happy childhood and a safe environment for every child. The SOS Village Lekenik is made up of 16 houses, where children live under the care of their SOS mothers.

A group of ReversingLabs employees spent a sunny September afternoon doing repairs and landscaping around the playground in the village, and building furniture for the houses.

They repainted the swingsets and slides, and did some serious refactoring on a see-saw. Years of experience in hunting malware and solving all kinds of bugs resulted in one developer spotting an old, rusty weather vane, which was immediately fixed. That's the true engineer's approach to polishing the environment!

Our employees also had the opportunity to spend some time with the children and their SOS mothers. The children's positive energy had a motivating effect on everyone. The repairs became even more fun when some of the children joined in, and a few of our employees brought their own kids to volunteer.

"I loved being part of this project, and having the opportunity to contribute to something that makes children happy.", said Kristina.

Making a positive impact on the children's lives was an empowering experience. In turn, the children are also empowered by a refreshed, more enjoyable environment. Events like these show that social responsibility is not just a buzzword, but an important element of every company's culture.

When people are working together on tasks that are so different from their daily job, their perspective changes. It's a great exercise in communication skills and trust-building between employees who don't necessarily collaborate in day-to-day tasks. Bonds created during these kinds of activities can result in better understanding between different departments in their future projects and meetings.

It was awesome - when are we doing this again?", said Danijel.

Satisfied with what they've accomplished and full of inspiration for new adventures, our developers are now back at their keyboards. However, this experience was so exciting and fulfilling that they can't wait to go back!

We would like to thank the SOS Children's Village Croatia for hosting us, and we look forward to another chance to bring smiles to the children's faces.

Read more: http://sos-dsh.hr/en/news_details.aspx?idNews=810