Saturday 25 January 2014

Kolkata: Jadurhati and Bashirhat

Today was unusual in that we were involved in two different distributions within 24 hours.  The bonus of this was that we enjoyed both second breakfast and lunch provided by our wonderful hosts. The second breakfast was particularly interesting as it was finished up with the treat of a local delicacy, date palm molasses, somewhat similar to our Canadian maple syrup. At both of our sites today we were overwhelmed by the reception that we received by our adult hosts as well as the children.  They seemed amazed by our appearance and presence in their town.  

This morning's distribution site was organized differently so we had time to enjoy shaking the hands of the children and giving high fives all along the line of patiently waiting children and their guardians.  This was the first time that a distribution has been held in this community and as such, our hosts were particularly grateful for the opportunity.  Our team was particularly impacted by the story of one mother who had recently lost her husband and had no way of earning an income.  She and her son were overwhelmed by the generosity of our donors, and how this bedkit will improve the quality of life for this family.

We travelled two hours further east , nearly to the border with Bangladesh, for our second distribution of the day.  Driving through the many communities on our way to the distribution many of the team members commented on the bustling market areas of each town.  The sense of community carried over to the distribution with many local volunteers observing and assisting.  The enthusiasm of the children at this site was particularly memorable, with their requests for an encore performance of head and shoulders.  We were warmed by the fact that four young girls who missed the first distribution of the day were transported to the second site so that they could still receive the gift of their bedkit.  Kathleen and Debbie were the recipients of enormous hugs as these young girls showed their appreciation.

What a day!!!

Team Kolkata 2014