Chennai: Sivakasi

From Chennai 2011

Our day began in a most delightful way. As we entered the Mandapam school, we were welcomed and blessed with a sprinkling of rose water, our foreheads were marked with red and yellow clay, and we were presented with a rose. Stirring music poured forth from an assembly packed with excited children who waved and cheered unceasingly. We felt like 'Rock stars.'

The children are given a breakfast at this school as they are very poor and their breakfast provides the children with at least one good meal a day. After speeches and introductions, Team SCAW and the Rotarians began presenting 512 bedkits. The children's behaviour was superb and the process flowed very efficiently.

The children were very deserving of their bedkit gift. None of the children had shoes or sandals. Half of the mothers attending were barefoot. The children had thin arms and legs and in height were much smaller than Canadian children of the same age.

Every child thanked us in English and with a huge smile they embraced the bedkit which often was larger than the child themself. Rotary arranged volunteers who helped the children in carrying the bedkits away.

The children were well-groomed for this event with flowers often in the girl's hair and they looked so beautiful dressed in their new clothes which were provided in the bedkits. Later in the day Team SCAW visited the only factory of the surrounding villages which offered the parents employment. This was a matchbox factory where lucky mothers felt privileged to pack 3000 matchboxes by hand each day to receive a daily wage of $2.10.

Our Rotarian host are great people to work with -- providing us with complimentary meals and even a special fireworks display this evening.

Don Harris
for the Chennai 2011 Team

Leave your comments here.