Many eyes were watching as we got everything ready to begin. As soon as some of the children were dressed in their new school clothes, Jim lined them up ready to have their photo taken. Each team member is assigned a job to ensure that the flow of the distribution goes smoothly and efficiently.
Today Helen had a successful first day photographing the children. After the picture is taken, the child picks up the bag with his/her own clothes, goes through another checkpoint then receives the bedkit and finally the mattress.
Today my job was to hand out the foam mattress to each child, the last stop. There was an enormous pile of mattresses (715) stacked behind me. Fortunately, I had help from 3 young volunteers who worked diligently making sure a mattress was ready for me to hand out. It is quite a sight to see a 6 year old with his new bedkit strapped to his back, his own clothes in a plastic bag in one hand and then I give him a 6 foot long, rolled up mattress. He has to perform a real balancing act when I put the foam mattress on his head. He reaches up his hands to hold it in place while also holding onto his other possessions. Then he looks up at me with his huge eyes and smiles as he walks away.
Suzanne interviewed several parents/ grandparents to get their thoughts on items in the bedkit.
With the help of all our team members, Mama Wandoa and her helpers, and all the other volunteer helpers, the work of distributing 715 bedkits is successfully accomplished. The children will sleep well on their new colourful mattresses. Many thanks to our thoughtful donors who make this possible.
Anne for Team Tanzania 2015
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