Chennai: A Day in the Life of Pradeb

From Chennai 2008 Photo Album

Every day is special when doing a SCAW distribution but today we all agreed as Canadians that it was extra rewarding. Pradeb, a young 9-year-old boy from the village of Anjugam Nagar, Ramafuram received a bedkit at the distribution of Thiruvallur. Pradeb and his mother walked 6 kms through the fields to reach our SCAW distribution. Afterwards we had the pleasure of returning to their home.

Pradeb comes from a family of four children, with two older sisters and an older brother. His father works 15-18 days a month and earns on average about 100 Indian rupees a day. His mother stays at home to raise her children and works hard to ensure they are receiving an education. The oldest daughter is already at level nine, and both girls are involved in sports. Pradeb will also be receiving an education.

Their home is 18 x 10 feet and is made of bricks with a thatched roof. The floor inside is like concrete. The mother prepares food such as chili peppers outside, and has her kitchen inside the house. Their washroom facilities are in a separate building adjacent to the house.

The government of India has given every family in this village one light bulb, a fan, and one full tank of fuel. Fuel costs about 240 Indian rupees for one tank. Each family will also be receiving a television for education.

It was a pleasure to visit with Pradeb and his family. He is a sweet boy with a huge smile and has a lovely family. It is very rewarding for our team to visit with this family, to better understand how a bedkit is used, and the purpose it serves inside one of the homes. Although this family thank us for the gift of a bedkit it was the SCAW team who felt very much that we had received something special today.

Julie Coad
for the SCAW 2008 Chennai Team

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