I was back in the villages to see the impact of the bedkit,
to talk with the kids, and the parents and the teachers. What I heard from these individuals did
not surprise me, it was what I have heard over many years in different
locations and in different languages as a volunteer for SCAW. The feedback is good, we’re getting it right- the children
are sleeping well, their health is good, they are attending school and
learning. I shift my questions,
trying to pry out new answers; how could it be that a simple bedkit be this
good? How much would you pay at
the market for this item (more than what our overseas partners have
negotiated)? Is there anything you
would sell from the bedkit in order to help with other family needs (a vehement
“no” to that one). Rephrased,
reconfigured, the answers are the same “everything is helpful, everything is
good”. Do they wish for more?
Sometimes no, sometimes yes. It makes me happy when there are requests
for more. A stronger backpack,
more school supplies, a laptop, could we move the medical center closer to
their home please? These are not the requests of people who are ungrateful,
there is an overwhelming abundance of gratitude expressed; rather, these are
the requests of people who are starting to dream big dreams. It seems to me that people are able to
dream big when their basic needs are covered, are blanketed in this case. So when I hear the requests for more,
it tells me again that we are getting it right by providing the children with
their basic human right for a good night’s sleep. The bedkit donations are allowing people to dream in more
ways than one.
Debbie for Team Pune 2013
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