Nicaragua: Slideshow

Nicaragua: Mission Accomplished

This being our last distribution of the year, we finish 2010 with a grand total of 1,114,630 bedkits, after Nicaragua, 2010.

Our tenth day of distribution

Our final day was planned for two sites to reach our target of 5,000 bedkits delivered. It was Rememberance Day back home and we reminisced about our personal experiences on this day with a sense of pride and gratitude.

Our first site was the rural school just west of Leon where we had been the previous day. The Rotary volunteer who had worked with us the previous day, had the site and volunteers ready when we arrived.

Shortly after lunch we were packing up and off to San Juan del Rio Coco, just beyond Ticuantepe: a four-hour trip. After we passed through Ticuantepe where we had been earlier in the week, we headed to the what was to be the most beautiful and challenging of our drives while in Nicaragua. Crossing an  overflown “stream” and washed out road, up to our axels, we were all relieved at not having to get out and push!

Hairpin curves, large washed out chunks of road, verdant hills, and deep valleys were our reality for the  fantastic 30-minute “drive” to the town of del Rio Coco. You could imagine hot flowing rivers of lava that had created the shapes and definition of what we were seeing.

Near dark we arrived and set up in the municipal centre building; happy to be indoors as the light of day was near gone.

A loud cheer went up from the team and Rotary volunteers as the last child received the 5,000^th bedkit.

Happy and exhausted, we hugged and loaded into our vehicles after a job well done.

Janet Helmer
for Team Nicaragua 2010

Leave your comments here.

Nicaragua: 598 children in Diria

Today we travelled about one hour south east of Managua to a town called Diria. Here we distributed 598 bedkits: 350 to town and school children and the rest to rural children bused in to the distribution site.

The distribution went very well. Lots of volunteers and co-operative children and parents are to be thanked. We had a perfectly-controlled site that was out of the sun.

We were very lucky to have Elizabeth Cole, an energetic, fluent Spanish/English-speaking young lady stationed here as a teacher through the US Peace Corps, who acted as our translator throughout the day.

We were able to do three parent interviews with Elizabeth's help. At the end of our interview, the parent made a statement that we thought would be worth passing on.

After expressing her gratitude for the bedkit donations, she wanted us to know that having the Canadian volunteers come here and actually physically hand the bedkits to the child was a wonderful thing for two reasons:

1. It showed the people the love that came with the bedkits, and
2. It ensured that the bedkits contents all actually reached the child.

Garrick Byers
for Team Nicaragua 2010

Leave your comments here.

Nicaragua: 623 children in Masaya

Distribution 7

Masaya, our seventh distribution, was situated 45 minutes south of Managua in an area of volcanoes. As we drove to it we passed two beautiful crater lakes, viewed one "puffing" volcano and several other quiet ones as well.

Our distribution site was at a large private school with a huge enclosed open area that unfortunately had little to offer as an attractive background for our photos. 623 children were brought in from thirty rural schools. After having their pictures taken and happily receiving their bedkits they were given a snack before boarding their buses for home.

We too packed up and boarded our van wending our way back to Managua. The route took us through Nicaragua's oldest city: Granada.

We took a short break and walked through the lovely old section of town. Imagine our surprise at hearing "Joy To The World" being rehearsed in the market area as we left. It was the perfect ending to a great day.

Joan Hryniw
for Team Nicaragua 2010

Leave your comments here.

Nicaragua: 497 children in Sauce

Current Managua Time

Another 6 a.m. start for a distribution in Sauce (pronounced Sow-say), and 497 children.

The route was through farmland with volcanic mountains in the distance. We drove through several deep potholes filled with water and had to park just short of the distribution site at the local church due to deep mud.

The volunteers did an excellent job helping line up the children, haul the bedkits, and clear the long grass with machetes. Some bedkits went home on horseback and others were on top of a loaded school bus.

Following the distribution we had a meal of chicken and vegetable soup made by the ladies in the village.

Judy Dryden
for Team Nicaragua 2010

Leave your comments here.

Nicaragua: Yalaguina

Day 5

Wake call at 4:45 a.m.; room service breakfast at 5:15 a.m. (The restaurant doesn't open until 6:00 a.m.); and the day has begun for the SCAW team. At 6:00 a.m. we head out for Yalaguina, a small town four-and-a-half hours away through beautiful mountainous countryside.

Strange unique sites meet us all along the way: signs indicating armadillo or iguana crossings; a young lad on a bike pedalling down the road with a cow's head on each handle bar; a small gravel runway alongside the busy road with several very small planes on it; rice paddies and cement pads covered with drying coffee beans, the scent of which fills the cool fresh mountain air.

All of this and more fills our senses as we travel along. At Yalaguina the children are lined up and waiting. They sing their national anthem and then we are treated to a set of lovely traditional dances. Due to the lack of space and the ever glaring sun we set up the photographing site against the school wall and the fun begins.

The excitement was obvious by the expressions on their faces, as they saw the bedkit laid out. We danced with the children in the line-up to the background music - that of Nicaragua, a polka and the Pink Panther theme.

Their photos were then taken and off they skipped to get their bedkits. By 4:00 p.m. 625 weary but excited children, six weary but delighted Canadians and two dozen weary but ecstatic Nicaraguan volunteers wended their way homeward from Yalaguina, all to have a good night's sleep.

Thank you and good night from Nicaragua.

Joan Hryniw
for Team Nicaragua 2010

Leave your comments here.

Bangladesh: Cox's Bazar

From Bangladesh 2010

Back in Dhaka

We are done: 6,000 bedkits handed out to 6,000 kids, travelling 3,600 km all over Bangladesh to touch every one of these children.

This last distribution in Cox’s Bazar was bittersweet. We are one tired team and glad it is successfully over but I with some of my teammates shed a tear when the last photo was taken and the last bedkit handed out – because it was over.

No more intense camaraderie as we caromed through every day on a bedkit mission; no more big, happy, noisy distribution crowds; and no more little private moments between you and one of the kids that sometimes made you feel like your heart would burst with happiness and then other times with sadness.

From Bangladesh 2010

What a roller coaster of exhilaration, exhaustion and fulfillment. We have tried to represent Sleeping Children, our donors and our country the best we could as we make the world better one child at a time.

Doug MacDougald
for Bangladesh Team 2010

Leave your comments here.

Nicaragua: Our fourth distribution

From Nicaragua 2010

Today's distribution was about an hour's drive outside Managua in Ticuantepe. This is the first time they've hosted a distribution and they had numerous volunteers available to help. The site was a school compound with lots of space for the children to sit in a covered area while waiting to have their photos taken. While talking to the parents, we noticed one woman sitting with a live chicken under her arm.

We managed to get through the entire distribution without a repeat of yesterday's downpour.

At the end of the distribution we had lunch with the mayor and some of his staff and heard more about their lives in their town. Tomorrow we'll be on the road at 6 am for a 3-hour drive to Yalaguina and 625 excited children.

Judy Dryden
for Team Nicaragua 2010

Leave your comments here.

Bangladesh: Chittagong Distribution

From Bangladesh 2010

Day 9

Wow, it’s hard to believe that at 5:30 am we were on the bus again on our way to our second last site. Chittagong is another new site for a SCAW distribution and today we handed out bedkits to 319 children. This site is the home village of one of the Rotaractors that has been travelling with us since our arrival. Not only is it Didar’s hometown, this is his first sponsorship – and as a result twenty children got bedkits in today’s distribution.

We have seen almost 6,000 children over the past 10 days – but today’s kids were more special than those we have seen so far. Today we had blind children, deaf children, and mentally challenged children.

One little fellow came in a ‘wheelchair’... not like the wheelchairs that we westerners are used to seeing. This was literally a leather chair with little two-inch wheels under the four corners, handles for pushing, and a makeshift table top. As I watched his dad maneuver the wheelchair I couldn’t help but think about how difficult it must be to push it all over the uneven, unpaved roads and walkways. Unlike western wheelchairs with the big wheels that the passenger can use to move themself, this type of chair will prevent this little guy from ever doing that. We introduced him to “quacker,” our duck hand puppet, and once he got over his nervousness about exactly what it was he kept closing the beak to make it ‘quack.’ If you could have seen the grin on his face.

From Bangladesh 2010

Then there was the little guy who had such severe muscle atrophy that he couldn’t sit or bend ... he could only lay down. Creative minds had to come up with a plan ... and that they did. I was given the wonderful privilege of holding this handsome guy during his photo.

While the teachers, parents, and caregivers kept thanking us for coming to Bangladesh and running the SCAW program, their efforts to bring those beautiful children from far away villages for us to meet them today makes us all realize - they are the real heroes.

After such a humbling day we called it a wrap and settled back into the bus. Reflecting upon the day – and our blessings. We watched the sun set over a beautiful and green hillside on our way to our last location for this trip ... Cox’s Bazar.

Danielle Lalonde
for Bangladesh Team 2010

Leave your comments here.

Nicaragua: Our third distribution

From Nicaragua 2010

Our journey began with a 2 1/2 hour drive up into the mountains. The road started off paved, changed to cobble, and eventually to rocky and rutted. Along the path were many landslides, and beautiful scenery.

We arrived in a hidden mountain village situated between numerous peaks. The people were very friendly and helpful throughout the distribution. The mayor was a wonderful young woman who worked with us all day to make sure the distribution flowed smoothly. The first set of group photos were of special needs children, who arrived in larger numbers than were expected, but nevertheless, we were happy to give them a bedkit to assist them with their difficult lives.

The photo shoot started outdoors but had to be shifted three times due to sun alterations. Eventually the sky clouded over and the spin-off of a hurricane dropped down on us forcing us to shoot the last 150 pictures under a small gazebo.

Soaking wet, with grins ear-to-ear, we loaded up our equipment and headed back through the now-flooded mountain road. I doubt we would've made it back if not for our outstanding driver, Roberto. We finished the evening with dinner at Mcdonalds with our driver, but somehow the burgers weren't as satisfying as the children's smiles.

Garrick Byers
for Team Nicaragua 2010

Leave your comments here.

Bangladesh: Feni distribution

Day 8

What an amazing but tiring day! Sorry for the delay in getting the blog and photos to you as we had to stop and take a breath or two. Our day started at 4 am as we prepared to leave the beautiful tea plantation District of Sylhat for a 5 am departure.

Today’s distribution is in Feni, approximately 240 kilometers and an estimated travel time of 4 to 5 hours. Pot-holed and congested roads took us 7 ½ hours to reach our distribution site. We all felt that our day was over but it was just about to begin. Even though we were late the Rotary Club of Feni Central was prepared and we were raring to go.

We were welcomed by the clapping and cheering of the children and an exchange of their Rotary ball caps and bouquets of flowers. Within 15 minutes we were ready to go with the 832 bedkits to be distributed. The organization, pre-planning, and preparation by this local Rotary club was outstanding and it certainly worked to our advantage. We finished this distribution in record time according to the Overseas Volunteer Organization from the Rotary Club of Dhaka. Hats off to Faruk, Milon, Jamal, and Bayezid for their excellent distribution site and their hosting of the volunteers.

From Bangladesh 2010

When we arrived 300 of the children were dressed and ready to go. As the first 300 were being photographed, the next groups had arrived and were also ready to be photographed. Roped off secure areas and private change rooms with teacher supervision also helped in the organization of the day. The shaded areas for the children to wait and to have lunch (juice box, biscuits and banana) provided by the Rotarians was also an added bonus.

The distribution was completed and we were quickly driven to a local Rotarians home where seventy people sat down for a true Bengali lunch. A feast enjoyed by all!

After that we were then taken out to the village of Gonuk some 20 kilometers away for some home visits. What an outstanding experience for all! We first visited the home of a young boy who had received a bedkit in last year’s distribution. His father welcomed us into their home and was so proud of the gift that his son had received last year. As we walked through the village it was beginning to get darker and darker and as we walked the crowds got larger and larger. We had a great time interacting with the children and many of the older locals. We taught them a new reply to “how are you” with the new reply “fantastic” and as we walked towards the next home loud cheers were echoing through the village. We felt were like the Pied Piper of Hamlin.

The next home visit was the home of this year’s bedkit recipient. Many of the children in this particular village had received a bedkit and were still proudly wearing their new clothes.

Thank you, donors, as it was truly evident that there are many needy children deserving bedkits. After the visits to the homes, we were truly emotionally drained by the experience. We headed to the hotel to check in and have a quick clean up before being taken to a cultural evening performance. We were entertained by local dancers and singers and then were treated to a very late dinner and we eventually made it back to the hotel by 10:30 pm. An 18 ½ day but the experience is one that none of us with forget.

Sadness is starting to creep in as we complete Day 8 with only 2 more distributions to finish, one in Chittagong and the last one in Cox’s Bazar.

Mike Foster
for Bangladesh Team 2010

Leave your comments here.

Bangladesh: On the road

From Bangladesh 2010

• Very short night in Habiganj,
• Up at 4:30 am,
• Seven-hour drive with a short "street breakfast" along the way,
• 832 bedkit distribution in Feni,
• Home and village visit for this year's and last year's kids & bedkits,
• Off to a "cultural evening."

Real blog and pictures to follow when we can catch our breath.

Doug MacDougald
for Bangladesh Team 2010

Leave your comments here.

Nicaragua: 469 Children in Managua

Day 2

A hot humid morning after a night of heavy rain. So much rain, a turtle had taken shelter in the restaurant with us at supper the previous night. Made for great pictures!

Our inner-city distribution this second day was at a local school which serves the poor of the poor in this capital city. Throngs of children and parents blocked the streets waiting for their bedkits. Police and security maintained order.

Over the course of the next six hours, 469 children had their pictures taken and left with smiles on their faces and bedkits in-hand.

The Rotarian Governor of Central America visited the school. The school children danced honouring him and the team.

A tired group of school youth and volunteers and the SCAW team shared a wonderful Nicaraguan lunch, thankful for a successful day of knowing these children would sleep better tonight.

Regards, Janet Helmer
for Team Nicaragua 2010

Leave your comments here.

Bangladesh: Habiganj and Srimongal

From Bangladesh 2010

Distribution 7

After a day of rest in Dhaka we were off to an early start -- before 6 a.m. -- to Habiganj and Srimongal, where we completed our first two-site day with two distributions. The first, at Habiganj, was for 380 bedkits, and the second at Srimongal, for 220 bedkits.

The distribution at Habiganj was held at the ancestral home of Gulru, wife of Rowly, one of the members of the Rotary Club of Dhaka. As usual, we tried to have some local flavour in the photo background - this time we used two baby goats. However, our background disappeared part way through the distribution when the young goat herder took away his goats because he thought they were getting too hot in the brilliant sun.

From Bangladesh 2010

The Srimongal distribution included children from twelve different ethnic groups, including Tipura and Kashia hill tribes and Tamils from South India - all attracted to the area over the years because of work available in the tea plantations surrounding Srimongal. This distribution proceeded very quickly since, for the first time during our distribution, the children were already dressed in their new clothes and ready to have their photos taken when we arrived.

At both locations, as we have become accustomed to and despite the best efforts of the organizers, many more parents and deserving children showed up than were selected -- hoping to be the recipient of a bedkit. Despite knowing that their child was not selected, they watched the full distribution and left only after the last bedkit was gone. This only emphasizes, once again, how valued our bedkits are to these poor communities.

From Bangladesh 2010

On the way to our overnight bungalows in the tea plantation we passed tea pickers on their way home from their day’s work. They were carrying freshly-picked tea leaves on their heads to the weighing station. The weight determined their salary for the day. On average these workers receive about 45 taka (60 cents) for their day’s efforts.

From Bangladesh 2010

Needless to say, many of the recipients of our bedkits today were the children of these workers. Before continuing, we stopped at a tea house to taste their special 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 layer teas.

Andy Greiner
for Bangladesh Team 2010

Leave your comments here.

Nicaragua: 500 Children in Dario

A five o'clock start today in order to reach our first distribution site in Dario, Nicaragua. It became quite the adventure when the team had to transfer to the back of a local pick-up truck in order to navigate through the deep, gooey mud and gigantic ruts and potholes -- left over from the still-lingering rainy season.

Our distribution was a huge success thanks to the help of many local volunteers and our Rotarian partners. Five hundred very happy children went home with their new bedkits; some by horseback, many sitting in the back of big trucks, and lots on foot for a long walk home.

They will all surely sleep well tonight and so will our team after a very busy day!

Patti Jones
for Team Nicaragua 2010

p.s.: The computer froze. Pictures to come.

Leave your comments here.

Bangladesh: Back in Dhaka

From Bangladesh 2010

Travel Blog

Khulna to Pabna to Domar to Dhaka, a three-day Bangladesh road trip that took us -- as the distribution blogs said -- to the Northwestern area of Bangladesh.

The faithful readers of different distribution’s blogs and reports understand well the crazy, chaotic yet rhythmic flow of traffic with such an eclectic range of conveyances so I won’t bore you with further descriptors. However, the pit stops are all unique: for example, stopping for a mid-afternoon snack at a street vendor (we have great confidence in our robust immune system!) and sampling his Deem Chop (deep fried battered hard boiled egg), Aloo Chop (deep fried battered potato), and Pakura (deep fried battered vegetables) all washed down with street tea. Yummy! Oh, did I mention the dried cow dung fuel sticks firing up the oil pot? We have taken a pact to not eat anything deep fried and battered for at least a month after we come home.

From Bangladesh 2010

At every stop the friendly curious crowd gathers and it is great fun to “kid around” as we wait for our snacks and meet some of the cool characters that are part of the crowd: a kid with his very iffy go-kart made with three sticks and roller bearings and a happy guy with his “pan tongue.”

From Bangladesh 2010

Many people chew pan, a beetle nut leaf wrap (nicotine) with twenty-one different ingredients including spices and sweets that leaves a red stain on teeth and mouth.

But most importantly this road trip was all about camaraderie amongst our extended Rotary and Sleeping Children members as we “help the world, one child at a time” reaching out to the poorer areas of Bangladesh.

... Stayed tuned, more travel ahead -- including a tea plantation distribution, Hill tract kids receiving bedkits for the first time and much more ...

Doug MacDougald
for Bangladesh Team 2010

Leave your comments here.

Nicaragua: The team arrives

Our Canadian SCAW team has landed safely in hot and sunny Managua, Nicaragua. After a quick wash-up, we met to "rehearse" our bedkit set-up and then on to meet with our Rotarian partners.

After finalizing plans for the next twelve days, we enjoyed a scrumptious Nicaraguan dinner in a local outdoor restaurant, eating under the palm trees and serenaded by a local musician. We are so ready to sleep tonight, yet so eager to get started with the children tomorrow.

Patti Jones
for Team Nicaragua 2010

Leave your comments here.

Bangladesh: Our day in Domar

From Bangladesh 2010

There is a special reason why we travelled so far to the northwest region of Bangladesh for a bedkit distribution in the village of Domar. Khaliq, one of the Rotarian coordinators was born in this region and lived there until he was a year and a half. His family taught him he has a responsibility: “You received the nutrients of the land and you need to repay this debt.” Thus we travelled with Khaliq to one of the poorest areas of Bangladesh to help the children.

We woke up to our first day of overcast with the occasional sprinkle of rain.

When we arrived at the village all 310 children who were to receive bedkits and their families were gathered under a very large tent. Khaliq’s uncle, Abbasi, had organized approximately forty-five minutes of entertainment while the six of us from SCAW set up the distribution flow and photography area. There was plenty of singing by the children. And just before the distribution started Kathy and I sang "O Canada" to the crowd. It’s highly unlikely we will be found at a stadium conducting opening ceremonies anytime soon.

From Bangladesh 2010

Part way through the distribution there was a pause while some of the children changed into their new clothes. Doug and Mike went into the crowd to have fun with the bubble-makers we brought with us. One benefit of today’s weather was that the bubbles lasted longer than usual. The children thoroughly enjoyed that impromptu entertainment.

When we set up our photography area we placed two rickshawvans in the background with both owners agreeing to leave their vehicles for the couple of hours required to take pictures. But half way through when our backs were turned one of the drivers snuck in and was taking his away. We were able to convince him with some taka-help ($) to leave it but found out at the end his child had received a bedkit early in the distribution and his wife and child were waiting for him to take them home! Oops, the challenges of communication!

From Bangladesh 2010

After the last bedkit was handed out we all agreed that today’s distribution ran smoothly and that Khaliq’s uncle, Abbasi, had done an excellent job of organizing today’s event and venue. The special part of today’s venue was it allowed the families and community to be very close to our team and the distribution site with, by the end, the crowd cheering and clapping the completion of every photo.

Steve Allen
for Bangladesh Team 2010

Leave your comments here.

Nicaragua: The team prepares

From Nicaragua 2010

On October 31^st the Nicaragua team met at SCAW headquarters, the Dryden family home at 28 Pinehurst, to sort the labels for their distribution of 5,000 bedkits in Nicaragua this month.

The six-member team is (Left to right): Patti Jones, Joan Hryniw (Team Leader), Garrick Byers, Dennis Jones, Janet Helmer, and Judy Dryden.

You can see photos of the label sort in the Nicaragua 2010 Photo Album.

Early on the 1^st of November they boarded the plane for Nicaragua.

Leave your comments here.

Nicaragua: Leave your comments here

As a courtesy, please include your name at the end of your comment or click on Select profile ... and fill in your NAME by selecting Name/URL. You can leave URL blank.