India is a diverse country: more than one billion people, fifteen official languages and countless others in 28 states and seven territories. The Kolkata bedkits are distributed in eleven distinct centres.As each bedkit is distributed, it is common to wish to see the bedkit items in use. Following today's distibution we had the chance.
The distribution took place in Jhargam, a three-hour drive, 150 km from Kolkata. Following the distribution we were invited to visit Chandipur, a tribal village a half-hour away. This village of 130 people has no electricity, no school, and one water pump, which is in great demand during the nine months of the dry season. Despite the lack of facilities, the people took obvious pride in their community as each of their mud huts was spotless and the outside area appeared to be raked regularly with a hand straw broom.
The major problem faced by the community is so basic — no food. The elephant is their enemy. Due to the deforestation of the area, the elephant also searches for food and in doing so destroys any crops the villagers have tried to grow, as well as physically destroying some of their mud huts.
Our local partner, the Rotary Club of Dum Dum, has made an eighteen-month commitment to the village to:
provide twice monthly deliveries of rice which is the basic diet,
supervise the building of a large water hole which will collect water during the rainy season for use throughout the year (The water hole is being dug by hand!), and
assist in providing seeds for crops that the elephants do not eat.
The goal is not to make this village forever in the need of receipt of handouts but to make them self-sufficient within the eighteen-month period.
When we arrived in the community we were delighted to see bedkits: twelve of which had been distributed that morning. The bedkit delivery was obviously an event of great excitement, not only for the children who received the bedkits, but for the whole community. All members gathered to review the bedkit items, not being able to choose one item over another and feeling that each item was needed and would be used.
These villagers were welcoming to each member of our team and shared many laughs as we introduced them to a skipping rope and blowing soap bubbles. No doubt the items in the bedkit will be used by more than one person as this appeared to be a true communal village. As we left we could not help but think that each person in the community could use a bedkit. There is no doubt that more of their children will be on the SCAW distibution list for next year.
Alan Ingram
2007 SCAW Kolkata Team
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