The distribution as a whole went very well today. Each member of the team worked very well together and we were able to conduct some interviews with parents, children and teachers. When we pulled into the school in the morning there were literally thousands of children lining or path! The school we visited has between 5000-6000 students and too few classrooms so many classes were held outdoors in the courtyard. When speaking to a teacher we were told that there are easily 200 students per class. I was astonished!
Today was the fifth distribution for team Tanzania 2015 and thanks to SCAW's incredible donors we were able to make at least 715 more children very, very happy. In fact, what I have come to realize is that there are so many more who benefit from one single bedkit. Yesterday, we were fortunate to have visited three homes and I was also able to interview two mothers whose children had received bedkits. Through this interaction, we learned that the bedkit is often a gift for more than one child in the household. One mother mentioned that both of her sons would share the mattress and that the mosquito net could be used by the three older children, as their current net, old and worn, is being used to protect the babies.
We had some large group photos today, one of which is very close to my heart. The school where I teach in Peterborough, Edmison Heights PS, helped provide 34 children with a good night's sleep this evening through their fundraising efforts this past June. These bedkits represent a fraction of what the school community donated toward SCAW, with many individual bedkits having been purchased as well. My heart was filled with so much gratitude as I looked upon the faces of those our students have helped. Thank you, so, so much.
In all honesty, I knew that I would fall in love with these children when I first decided to volunteer with SCAW. What I did not know was that I would fall so much in love with SCAW. I am hooked. After 5 distributions and over 3500 bedkits so far I know that my involvement with SCAW has only just begun.
Lala salama.
Laura for Team Tanzania 2015
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