Philippines: Photo Album 1

Click to browse Photo Album Philippines, May 16

The SCAW 2007 Philippines Travelling Team has arrived in Manila and we've posted their first photo album.

Date & Time in Philippines:

To leave a comment for the team, click on the word "comments" below.

Kenya Photo Album

Kenya Album 2007

The 2007 Kenya travelling team has now returned to Canada. Click on the Picasa album to see a small selection of photos they took during the distribution. Try out the slideshow feature to see all 72 photos in the album.

SCAW's next distributions are Philippines in May, Uganda in June, and Togo in June.

Stay tuned ...

Remember, you can also subscribe to this blog so you'll receive an email as soon as the first Live Reports are posted here.

Kenya: Day 8 — Kariobangi

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This morning we went to the Kariobangi Primary School. This school became the distribution site for some sites around it. It was our last distribution. It became chaotic at times as the fence around it was poor and the parents were waiting there. A few children tried to sneak another bedkit but we soon realized what they were doing and it was because their parents were urging them on. We had a ‘time out’ and cleared the area. We gave out 491 bedkits today.

This school had groups that were centers for orphans and HIV/AIDS kids. We noticed that the size of the children was very small and we were told that even our Rotary Leader had seen their papers but since they suffer from the disease they are smaller in general.

Tonight we have a wrap up meeting with our overseas volunteer partners from the Rotary Club of Nairobi. These folks have once again made our job easier.

This ends the Kenya distribution for 2007 with 4,000 Kenyan children sleeping well tonight! We have received so many Thank You's on the donors' behalf and messages of blessings. It was an honour to be a part of this all.

Sue Orr
Team Kenya 2007

Kenya: Day 6 and 7 — Rural Kenya

Team Kenya had the great good fortune to spend the weekend in rural Kenya.

Our first stop was St. Mary’s Primary School in Machakos where we had our best distribution yet and distributed 500 bedkits. The school yard had cattle roaming on it, so we placed our setup right in front of the children who enthusiastically watched our every move. That also provided the added bonus of the children being able to see what was taking place and consequently being better prepared when their turn came.

After the distribution, a local Rotarian arranged a tour of a house where one of the students lived. It was a 10' x 10' mud hut with no running water, an outhouse for latrine facilities, and a mud floor. Inside were two small beds and a cooking facility. The girl lived there with a mother, father, and one sibling — the other two lived elsewhere.

The area has been stricken with drought so we saw many totally dry riverbeds. The countryside was vast, dotted with many trees. Cattle and other livestock seemed to be roaming free or were attended by herders, often children.

By the time we arrived at the Makindu Sikh Temple for our overnight stay we were halfway to Mombasa from Nairobi. This 80-year-old Sikh Temple is free to any travellers who are provided with food and lodging. After settling into our rooms, we were provided with a tour of the local town guided by a parent of one of the children. Among other activities, some of us joined a group of the children from a school who would be receiving bedkits in a game of volleyball. Sixty of the students lived there, some using the classrooms as dorms at night. After the tour, and with all of us in head scarves, we had the opportunity to sample Indian cuisine in the large dining facility at the Temple.

On Sunday morning, we set up at the Makindu Sikh Temple for a distribution of 500 bedkits to ten schools from the surrounding area within a 5-kilometer radius. Many students had walked and we noticed many had no shoes on. It was a very hot morning so we were happy the children were able to wait for their turn to be photographed on the grass in the cool shade of the Temple garden — a far cry from the dirt playgrounds of most of the schools.

Upon interviewing some of the parents, we discovered that they would like a bed to put the mattress on, a warmer blanket, and more exercise books and pens. They were very appreciative of the mosquito net! They felt it would help prevent diseases so the child would be healthier and wouldn’t miss so much school.

Since it was Sunday, we noticed this day was our most musical by far, with the children often singing and dancing while waiting and once even dancing into the photography setup.

It was a tired, but happy team who headed back to Nairobi for our final distribution tomorrow.

Veri Presswood
Team Kenya 2007

Kenya: Day 5 — Mathare, Nairobi

This morning saw us on the road to Mathare where children came from 18 different schools to receive 500 bedkits. Mathare is an old primary school with over 1400 students and only 25 teachers. We had lots of help from Rotaractors — young Rotarians. In this case most of them are in university and on holiday this week.

The distribution went off without a hitch.

However, picture taking location was a problem - school lessons were still going on while the students from the 18 schools came for the distribution. So the best location for sun and traffic control was a few yards away from the boys' latrine. The team (especially Veri) will long remember the children of Mathare and the stench of the latrine.

Tomorrow we head out from Nairobi into the rural area for two distributions and overnight. We return to Nairobi late Sunday so this will be our last live report for a few days.

Veri Presswood
Team Kenya 2007

Kenya: Day 4 — Muslim & Catholic Schools

Date & Time in Kenya:

We left this morning at 7:30 am and arrived at the Dagoretti Muslim School. They were not yet ready for us and it took a little while for the teachers to understand what we needed of them: the kids in clothes and a secure site. It all worked out perfectly in the end though.

It gave us time to look around. There was no running water at this school. The bathrooms had signs above them that said use toilet paper and not stones or glass. There were dead mice on the schoolyard and despite all of this the kids were very happy about things — even those kids that did not get a bedkit. The parents waited outside the yard and thanked us when we left.

We then went for lunch with the Rotary Club. It was the opposite of what we had just seen. We were treated royally at the Grande Regency Hotel. Unfortunately, we had to leave early because kids were waiting at the site of the afternoon distribution.

The other site was Kwetu Children's home. It is a school boarding system for boys that come off the street. As well, they had girls bussed in to receive bedkits from a neighbouring school. They showed us an area that had some bedkits from last year. This site was really organized well and the distribution went quickly. This area was close to Mukuru. The schoolyard had chickens and dogs running wild on it.

The team was a bit tired today, as some are not sleeping well at night. We went out for dinner tonight as guests of the Rotarians that are in charge of the sites. They were great company and gave us good insights on what to expect for the future.

Sue Orr
Team Kenya 2007

Kenya: Day 3 “Cheka!”

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To leave a comment for the team, click on the word "comments" below.

This morning we went to the Mwamgaza Primary School in Kayole, Nairobi. They have 1,782 children from Grade 1 to Grade 8 with forty-two teachers.

The distribution went well again — with 500 bedkits going to kids that come out of Mathare, the second largest slum in Nairobi. Our system was set up in the courtyard and we used the ropes to keep control of the crowd. The full sun was on us for most of the time. The kids are used to being in the sun but we are not. This school has a secure fence system that kept some parents out during the distribution.

These bedkits really do go to the entire family and everyone gets excited about it!

The Rotary Club has provided many Rotaractors — young Rotary members between twenty and thirty years of age — that help during the distribution. They play an active part in assisting us to get the job done. They also help in translating the language.

The Parent Council showed us their appreciation afterwards. The chairman mentioned that many of the recipients are orphans and others are HIV-positive. We also noticed that they had many groups of special needs children there. These experiences are making us appreciate what we have at home.

Smile!! Cheka!!

Sue Orr
Team Kenya 2007

Kenya: Day 2 “Drive-In School”

We went to the Drive-In Primary School in Mathare today. This school is called the Drive-In School only because it is near the Drive-In. They have over 1500 students from Grade 1 to Grade 8.

They had 32 teachers in the school. The school was very efficient and well run. Maybe it was because they were all women teachers?! We asked the head mistress what she would like the most and her reply was a secure fence system. This way they could put in a permanent kitchen facility.

The distribution went very well and 500 bedkits are going to very deserving homes.

From the schoolyard we could see the apartment buildings that these kids come from. They are a 10 x 12 room where the entire family lives. This area is the second largest slum in Nairobi.

Sue Orr
Team Kenya 2007

Kenya: First Distribution of 2007

Hello,

We are sending this first live report after a day in Kibera, Kenya at the Jamia mosque. Kibera is said to be one of the largest slums in sub-saharan Africa and therefore the children are among the poorest in the continent. We distributed a total of 609 bedkits and the process went smoothly.

Yesterday morning we met with our Rotary partners and planned our distributions. Yesterday evening we attended a dinner at the home of Rotary Club President, Diamond Lalji and his wife. The gracious surroundings of last night were in sharp contrast to the destitution that we observed today in Kibera.

We were greeted this morning by many smiling, happy faces, despite waiting for hours. The children were in good spirits and happy to sing songs with us and watch Duncan's many magic tricks. Overall, a great day.

More to come,

Sarah Axelson,
for the SCAW 2007 Kenya Team

Kenya: SCAW Team has Arrived

The SCAW team is ready to go!

A distribution in Kibera starts tomorrow.

We will be in touch when we are not so rushed!

All are safe.

Duncan Macgregor
on behalf of the travelling team

Kenya: The Travelling Team

From Kenya Album 2007

Introducing the SCAW 2007 Kenya Travelling Team.
(Left to Right) Back Row: Veri Presswood, Sue Orr, Sarah Axelson, Brenda Oliver. Front Row: Duncan Macgregor (Team Leader), Don Potter.

Live Reports are Here

For the past several years, SCAW has posted Live Reports so travelling volunteers could share their distribution experiences with friends and family at home.

The Live Reports have now been turned into blog posts and moved to this Blogger Web site: SCAW Live Reports Blog.

When you have a moment, browse the posts and try out the updated photo albums courtesy of Picasa. (You can even watch a slide show if you wish.)

All Live Reports from the past year have been moved here. Posts are in reverse chronological order. To find a particular distribution, look in the Recent Blog Posts list at left for these dates:

• Kolkata — January
• Chennai — January/February
• Mumbai — January/February
• Kenya — March
• Philippines — May
• Uganda — June
• Togo — June
• Sri Lanka — July
• Tanzania — August/September
• Honduras — September
• Bangladesh — October/November/December

This month's Kenya distribution is the first one exclusively available here.

If you'd like to be kept up-to-date, you can subscribe to the blog. Then you will be sent an email each time there is a new post from our travelling volunteers.

Mumbai: Photo Album 5

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Mumbai February 16

Mumbai: Final Distributions

Back in Mumbai with one day to explore, one day to do the final distribution and wrap up, and then Sunday to prepare to fly home later in the day.

Ambarnath and two days of distributions in Karjat were well organized and smooth — except for ten labels short. At our organizing meeting in Toronto before we left we sorted labels in 3 x 10 and bundled them in groups of ninety. Somehow we missed ten – but George and I, being the rookies, figured it was our error and with a quick ‘Judy-made label’ purchased ten bedkits on the spot and got our picture taken with the kids. All’s well that ends well.
An early update described this trip as exhilarating exhaustion and that stands true near the end but it has not been all work — we have had fun!

From a Mumbai “hawker” we purchased Rattlesnake Eggs which are two oblong shaped magnets that when held a couple of inches apart and thrown into the air come together with a rattling sound. (Or as George demonstrates in the picture they can be used as modified earrings.) We had great fun playing with the kids and conveniently left them behind at each distribution.

Many of these kids had never had their picture taken or seen their picture on a digital camera screen. The excited hoots, laughter, and jostling to see themselves and the “take my picture” gestures could have gone on for hours.

We graduated from “not very spicy” to “normal Indian spicy” food — and really enjoyed trying all the different foods. Thanks to Raj our Bombay Rotary coordinator.

We happened upon — as happens with travel — little unexpected snippets of life:

• Pickup cricket games on the beach in Dahanu with cattle as spectators. They let us try batting but a baseball swing didn’t seem to quite work.



• An early morning run as a family of wild pigs ambled by.



• Traffic to a standstill as a herd of water buffalo meandered across the road.

We made memories as would be expected from five strangers spending most waking moments together doing this kind of purposeful work.

And of course it has beens all about the kids — laughing, crying, afraid, mischievous, apprehensive, shy, and outgoing. Our hearts are full and we thank the donors for their generosity and for entrusting us to represent you and the principles of SCAW.

Doug MacDougald,
for the SCAW 2007 Mumbai Travelling Team

Mumbai: Wada Distribution

Just like in the Willy Nelson song, we are "On the road again." Lots of driving from Dahanu to Kaylan as we distributed 435 bedkits at two sites in the Wada area.

The second site was at a textile factory owned by one of the Rotary club members and situated in the middle of a brick making area.

These small brick manufacturing sites are frequent in this area and are not complex busineses: the raw material is sitting under foot, plentiful, and labour is cheap. The kilns are simply made with the newly formed bricks and a charcoal fire.

The children receiving bedkits came from villages nearby, but the kids from the brick making area — obviously very poor and living in grass huts — were looking on. What they were thinking one could only wonder.

A recurring theme from this trip: kids are kids regardless of socio-economic status as you can see from the accompanying pictures. The three little “brick” girls (At right) were having lots of fun (and me too) as we played peek-a-boo as I took their picture.

We got to this site early before the kids arrived and saw them coming through the valley, some hand in hand – and then saw them as they headed off excited and chattering with bedkits on their heads.

What a sight as they headed off home!

Doug MacDougald,
for the SCAW 2007 Mumbai Travelling Team

Mumbai: Photo Album 4

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Mumbai February 13

Mumbai: Dahanu Distribution

Four distribution days, seven sites, 1650 bedkits, many kilometers over some iffy roads, traffic the same as previously reported – and all is well.

Email access is thin, our signs have not shown up but otherwise everything else is reasonably on track.

The kids are fabulous. Have you seen happier kids than those in this picture?

We have left Mumbia and are several hours north in Dahanu. This area is an agricultural area with rice, mangoes, vegetables, hay, water, buffalo, chickens, and of course lots of villages and people.

It seems everything in this region is done by hand: thrashing grain, stacking hay, hauling produce and water, butchering chickens, and washing clothes.

Little kids get to wash the dishes.

We are theorizing that India will leap from an agrarian to a high tech country in one leap.

Doug MacDougald,
for the SCAW 2007 Mumbai Travelling Team

Mumbai: Mumbai Morning

Mumbai in the pre-dawn is quieter, especially down by the water near the Gateway to India. Nice area.

Barefooted women with big straw brooms are sweeping the streets. The one-legged guy with a makeshift wheelchair is washing himself in the gutter and hoping to make a few rupees shining shoes today.

Around the corner you almost step on a couple of women covered in a dirty blanket, sleeping on the pavement using the curb as a pillow. A baby cries — a small young baby. She lays naked, out from the cover of the blankets, cold in the early morning dampness. The mother sleeps.

The sliver of sun slices through the mist and smog over the Arabian Sea, slowly bringing life to this city and as it does, miles and miles of grey, black slums are illuminated.

As we drive through the city toward our distribution these slums are juxtaposed beside nice residences. At a stop sign a pretty young girl, maybe ten years old, leads an older blind man, presumably her dad, into the waiting traffic pleading with her eyes for money. A young man carries another very thin frail dying man on his back asking for the same.

One foot in front of the other must be the only way to survive another day. Didn’t give the pretty young girl or young man any money. Wish we did.

We shed some tears and get about helping one child at a time.

Doug MacDougald,
for the SCAW 2007 Mumbai Travelling Team

Chennai: Photo Album 1

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Chennai February 10

Mumbai: Traffic in Mumbai

Traffic in India is unlike anything in my experience, with cars, unique transport trucks, auto-rickshaws, motorbikes, bicycles, cattle, dogs, water buffalo, oxen drawn carts, goats, and people all sharing the same space. Oh, did I mention constant horn blowing?

There is no discernable structure or rules but rather a free-flowing, cacophonic, kaleidoscope of motion.

The horn is consistently used as a warning that the vehicle is passing another vehicle and transport trucks actually have on the back “Horn, OK. Please.”

It has been common on a four-lane divided highway for vehicles to drive the wrong way – in the passing lane – at speed! Just get out of the way – and people and animals do it without apparently thinking anything of it.

In a survey done this week of the 16 million residents of Mumbai the number one issue for all income brackets were better roads. They are bad – except for some new highways just completed and built by the private sector. These will be maintained by the contractor for anywhere from ten to twenty years and collect tolls for that period of time before it is turned back to the public sector. These roads have more frequently been built on time and on budget, which was not happening with government run projects.

Even though there is little evidence of rules of the road it seems to work OK. I suspect this is an appropriate metaphor for business and life in this very crowded region – free flowing and maneuvering around obstacles — with these roads moving a nation that is a nation on the move.

Doug MacDougald,
for the SCAW 2007 Mumbai Travelling Team

Mumbai: Photo Album 3

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Mumbai February 8

Mumbai: Dombivli Distribution

Today was spent at Dombivli a city of 1.5 million with many manufacturing plants that were apparent as we drove to the distribution site.

As usual several schools were represented including a girl orphanage and a school for mentally challenged children. Parents — if alive — primarily worked in manufacturing jobs, drove auto-rickshaws, or were domestics.

Kids and parents can show several types of emotions at these events and pictures show it best — and celebrate the buoyancy of the human spirit.

Doug MacDougald,
for the SCAW 2007 Mumbai Travelling Team

Mumbai: Photo Album 2

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Mumbai February 7

Mumbai: Distributions 6 & 7

Distribution days six and seven have been completed at three sites: Panvel, Navi Mumbai, and Thane — all within a two-hour drive of where we are staying in Mumbai.

The drive every morning and late afternoon is through Mumbai. With sixteen million people in this sprawling maze of mankind we have no idea where Mumbai stops and we enter a new town or city.

Construction, bamboo scaffolding, dust, debris, more debris — all driving the changing picture of India as it increases services and goods supplied to the world — and much of the construction is done by hand and by the parents of the children we are seeing at our distributions. They live near the construction in cobbled-together, makeshift, anything-that-can-be-found shelters.

"Anything-that-can-be-found" may include our site distribution signs that are in the picture at left with Judy Snobelen at Thane with one of her donations to her — at the time — unborn grandson. "Baby Snobelen" Carter was born a couple of weeks before we left for India and everyone is doing fine including his grandmother.

Carter AKA "Baby Snobelen" is good news — but our missing signs are not. We suspect the box of signs was carried by one of the volunteers helping us out. It went from the van into one of the distributions unbeknownst to us.

Team leader Douglas Cunningham — we are calling him Douglas to differentiate the two Dougs on the team — in the photo at left may look a little frustrated.

Hey! Improvisation, flexibility, problem solving, patience, understanding of a different culture, different language, different needs, are required as a travelling volunteer.

Trust me: the kids don't care if there is a commercially made sign or a handmade one. What their needs are puts many things in our life into perspective.

Doug MacDougald,
for the SCAW 2007 Mumbai Travelling Team

Mumbai: Photo Album 1

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Mumbai February 5

Mumbai: The Southern Distributions

We finished the southern swing of distributions at Kundgol, Ranebennur, and Hubli by yesterday and flew back to Mumbai today. Five sites and 2,800 bedkits have been distributed — 17 and 4,700 respectively to go.

What can we say? This is producing conflicting emotions and thoughts.

Exhilarating exhaustion is an apt description with most of us if we get five or six hours sleep not able to get back to sleep as the previous day's experiences tumble around.
We are hopeful of the caring and compassion that we are finding but pessimistic of the cycle and culture of poverty that is pervasive.

We download our pictures every evening often as we unwind with dinner. Last night all the waiters were looking over our shoulder at the pictures, asking questions about Sleeping Children and at one point one young man stated "I want to work and help you when you are here in India." People care!

A $30 bedkit is a very big deal to these kids and their family.

At Ranebennur’s 600 distribution we were down to the last few children and one little boy had lost his “ticket” received that morning at registration that ensures the right child receives the bedkit. As he was waiting off to the side waiting for his ID to be checked (he didn’t understand the process) he was crying inconsolably — obviously thinking that he was not to receive his bedkit. After some assurance, hugs and tying his shoes (these kids have never had shoes) we put him in the next group for his photo and he was one happy little guy – with his shoes off. Hey, it takes a while to break new shoes in — especially if you have never worn any before.

There was not a bedkit for the 600th kid due to an inventory mistake. He had his new clothes, backpack, and school supplies but not bedding, mat etc. and forlornly sat there with his grandmother (his parents were dead) waiting. The solution
(Good decision Douglas C.) was for the Rotary organizer to go purchase the rest of the kit as we waited with the child and his grandmother. The relief and gratitude was tangible as they received the bedding.

Kundgol was on the third day of a three-day village festival when we were there for a 250 distribution. When we were driving in we saw some body-painted people and kids. Little did we know the custom during this festival is the painted individuals cannot put any additional clothes on for the duration of the festival. We had two kids in the 250 and after special parental permission they put on their new clothes, had a picture taken and received a bedkit. Some donor is going to receive quite a picture of a painted boy.

Many of these children have never been out of their village. Can you guess what is going through their minds with so many new events in one day?

Doug MacDougald,
for the SCAW 2007 Mumbai Travelling Team

Chennai: The team has arrived

The team has finally safely arrived. In spite of a planned British Airways Cabin Crews' strike (Industrial Action) and winter weather causing planes to ice up, we finally departed. There were many moments when we wondered if and when we would arrive in Chennai. Due to the impending strikes we had to depart a day earlier than planned and our team who had originally planned to travel together found themselves on four different routes. Our Rotarian hosts were phenomenal in managing to pick us up at four different times and in finding us homes to stay in as all the hotels were filled. This is the wedding season in Chennai, so there was "no room at the inn". Some stayed one night, others for two nights in homes that Rotarians graciously opened up to us after our seveteen and a half hour flights. We were so fortunate to have that extra day to rest. Tomorrow, our meeting with the Rotarians begins the distribution process as we finalize plans for the reason we have come - 5000 children and their bedkits.

Namaste from Chennai

Richard Hryniw,
for the SCAW Chennai Travelling Team

Mumbai: Belgaum Distribution, January 30

At right is the SCAW Mumbai 2007 travelling team with bedkit recipients. Team Members: Left to Right Kay Easun, Douglas Cunningham (Team Leader) Doug MacDougald, Judy Snobelen, George Foster.

The 650 bedkit distribution in Belgaum, a city of 700,000, was primarily to children of farm labourers. The surrounding area is reasonably good farmland growing sugar cane and rice with goat and sheep herds interspersed.

All the kids were assembled when we arrived and were they ever excited as waves, cheers and excitement greeted us. Parents were gathered outside the grounds on the street and as we greeted them and shook hands. Their thanks for your bedkit donation was overwhelming.

The girls were very pretty in their colourful dresses and the boys "cool" in shorts and shirts. These children are just regular kids with typical boy and girl schoolyard interaction. As I was yakking to some of the boys and taking pictures of the girls with all their dress colours showing brilliant in the sunlight, the guys were good naturedly razzing me for taking too many pictures of the girls and not of them.

I just can’t believe how much a $30 donation means to these kids and their parents. It is heartwarming at the same time well heartbreaking.

Doug MacDougald,
for the SCAW 2007 Mumbai Travelling Team

Mumbai: Distribution is Underway

The Mumbai 2007 team of Douglas Cunningham, Kay Easun, George Foster, Judy Snobelen, and Doug MacDougald is well started on the distribution of 7,500 bedkits in west central India. We spent the first day — after arriving at our hotel at 3 AM from Toronto — checking the sample bedkit and final organizing of the individual and group labels for each of the 22 sites.

We then saw some of Mumbai with a train ride through where some of the 16 million inhabitants live and ending up in the downtown area. The view from the first, second, and women-only train cars showed colour, culture, and a range of poverty that immediately spoke to why Sleeping Children Around the World is here.

Mumbai is big, crowded, and chaotic and we got lost coming back from the train station to our hotel (Doug MacD. thought it was the “other” way). Auto-rickshaws are everywhere and two of them careened through the streets of Mumbai getting us safely back to our hotel.

The first distribution was 650 bedkits in Pune at two sites. It went quite well thanks to the well experienced Pune Rotary Club and Nitin Shah.

First observations are: People working at low skill manual job make less than $1.00 per day and live in poverty that is dirty, dusty, hot and crowded.

The 650 children aged 6 to 12 prior to receiving their bedkit were subdued, cautious, and apprehensive but anticipating this unusual day in their lives. The 650 kids after receiving their bedkit were just “kids” – excited, playing, and quite comfortable with hugs, high and low fives, and smiles. The 650 children left with a little more comfort and hope than yesterday.

Doug MacDougald,
for the SCAW 2007 Mumbai Travelling Team

Kolkata: A Bedkit at Home

India is a diverse country: more than one billion people, fifteen official languages and countless others in 28 states and seven territories. The Kolkata bedkits are distributed in eleven distinct centres.

As each bedkit is distributed, it is common to wish to see the bedkit items in use. Following today's distibution we had the chance.

The distribution took place in Jhargam, a three-hour drive, 150 km from Kolkata. Following the distribution we were invited to visit Chandipur, a tribal village a half-hour away. This village of 130 people has no electricity, no school, and one water pump, which is in great demand during the nine months of the dry season. Despite the lack of facilities, the people took obvious pride in their community as each of their mud huts was spotless and the outside area appeared to be raked regularly with a hand straw broom.


The major problem faced by the community is so basic — no food. The elephant is their enemy. Due to the deforestation of the area, the elephant also searches for food and in doing so destroys any crops the villagers have tried to grow, as well as physically destroying some of their mud huts.

Our local partner, the Rotary Club of Dum Dum, has made an eighteen-month commitment to the village to:

provide twice monthly deliveries of rice which is the basic diet,
supervise the building of a large water hole which will collect water during the rainy season for use throughout the year (The water hole is being dug by hand!), and
assist in providing seeds for crops that the elephants do not eat.
The goal is not to make this village forever in the need of receipt of handouts but to make them self-sufficient within the eighteen-month period.

When we arrived in the community we were delighted to see bedkits: twelve of which had been distributed that morning. The bedkit delivery was obviously an event of great excitement, not only for the children who received the bedkits, but for the whole community. All members gathered to review the bedkit items, not being able to choose one item over another and feeling that each item was needed and would be used.

These villagers were welcoming to each member of our team and shared many laughs as we introduced them to a skipping rope and blowing soap bubbles. No doubt the items in the bedkit will be used by more than one person as this appeared to be a true communal village. As we left we could not help but think that each person in the community could use a bedkit. There is no doubt that more of their children will be on the SCAW distibution list for next year.

Alan Ingram
2007 SCAW Kolkata Team

Kolkata: Photo Album 1

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Kolkata January 18, 2007

Kolkata: News from Kolkata

We are in the midst of a distribution 6,500 bedkits in Kolkata, (formerly Calcutta), the capital of the state of West Bengal in the northwest corner of India bordering Kolkata. There is obvious need in each of the eleven communities, within a three-hour radius of Kolkata, in which children will receive a bedkit. Upon arrival we must pass through a solid mass of welcoming people to get into the distribution site, giving further proof of the importance of our mission. Both children and parents share the great excitement in the anticipation in being presented with their own bedkit.

Each child has an individual story but common threads tie each together. Through an interpreter, I talked with one mother and her child, Mohammed Molla, age 7. Mohammed was given a SCAW identity card by the school teacher and has walked 6 kilometres with his mother, the child in bare feet, to the site. They will have the luxury of the city bus to carry the bedkit home. I took his picture with a digital camera, the first time he had seen his own image other than in a mirror.

Mohammed’s father works as a rickshaw driver earning 50 rupees ($1.25 Cdn) each day. Fortunately he has only one wife and one child as this meager wage must support father, mother, and child but it is not enough to rent housing. As such, like thousands of others, they have taken over a piece of the sidewalk and attached a 10’ x 12’ shelter -- supported by two bamboo sticks at the front -- to the wall in the back. They have lived on the same piece of sidewalk for seven years. This is the only home that Mohammed has ever known.

The family lives on a staple diet of rice at each meal. A few times during the week the rice may be supplemented with a few vegetables. Fruit is a rare treat and fish or meat unknown. Medical and dental care are unavailable to this child.

While waiting for his SCAW picture to be taken in his new clothes and footwear I watched Mohammed take a quick peek in his new school bag to find a few of the included items. As his eyes lit up with disbelief when he saw his new gifts, I turned back to see his mother’s eyes well up with tears of joy. While his future is uncertain, his parents hope that he will be able to find a salaried job and not live in a street shack.

Others are not so fortunate as Mohammed. For every recipient there are thousands of other deserving children. We must start somewhere. The need of the children is overwhelming, your donation well appreciated.

Alan Ingram
2007 SCAW Kolkata Team

Bangladesh: Photo Album 6

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Bangladesh December 13

Bangladesh: We kept our promise

Sometimes, even with our best efforts, a commitment can't be fulfilled. That is what happened with our Bangladesh Team 2006 during its November distribution of 8,000 bedkits to the children of Bangladesh.

Due to erupting political turmoil that occurred after 5,499 bedkits had been distributed, the team was forced to stay in their residence. After a few days with the conditions remaining unsafe the Board of Directors decided to bring the team home.

What about the 2,501 children who had been promised bedkits? It wasn't fair that they should be disappointed. What about the bedkits in storage? Would they be safe during these unsettled times?

The Dhaka Lions Club, who had spent so much time and energy working as our overseas partners on this distribution were quite concerned. If we could not return in short order, there would be costs to them for storage, security guards, and possible repackaging to protect the bedkits from the elements. And what about the children who had been promised a bedkit?

It was decided that we would return to Bangladesh the moment that the blockades were removed and peace and order restored. We decided to send one SCAW volunteer to supervise this distribution with monumental assistance from the Dhaka Lions Club members. I was the lucky volunteer and I was thrilled.

We kept a close watch on the political situation, avidly read every travel advisory, and stayed in touch with our overseas partners in Bangladesh.

Everything seemed to converge in a positive way on Friday, December 1: my visa arrived and the political parties agreed to a truce. My flights were booked and I left on Tuesday December 5th.

The Lions Club planned to distribute 1,300 bedkits on the 8th, 1,201 on the 9th, leave one day to deal with any unforseen circumstances, hold an evaluation meeting on the 10th, and I would fly back home early on the morning of the 11th.

And that was what happened.

Everything worked out so well. The children were so excited with their bedkits!
The distribution sites were all about a two-and-a-half hour drive from the city of Dhaka. Each day we went to two different sites.

When I arrived at the site everything was in order. The children were getting changed into their new clothes. I set to work confirming that the bedkits were in order as well as setting up to take the photographs.

In order to be able to verify the whole distribution procedure I set up the photographing area in a central position enabling me to see all aspects of the distribution. The excellent volunteers provided by the Lions manned the positions usually covered by the SCAW travelling volunteers.

I missed the fact that I could not personally interact with the children as much as I would have liked but this was the trade-off.

I had previously always wondered why we had a sweater in the bedkit. World weather reports were always commenting on the heat of Bangladesh. Now I understood. It was quite chilly in the mornings. Everyone was wearing jackets, some wearing scarves and gloves. As confirmed by my questioning of the children, the sweater in the bedkit is a very important item.

Children bring out the best in us! We are very lucky!

My report back to you donors, is that the promises that we have made to you have been honoured. The children did receive your precious bedkits!

ON BEHALF OF THE CHILDREN, MANY THANKS!!

Dave Dryden
SCAW Travelling Volunteer

Bangladesh: Khoda haphes. Abar dakha hobe.

As we pressed on hour by hour over the Atlantic on October 29th, visions of delicious curries, balmy temperatures, renewing friendships, and the smiles of 8,000 children, danced in our heads. Little did we know that a political storm was brewing in Bangladesh.

We arrived to the misgivings of the Rotary Club. There was discussion of postponing the Bangladesh distribution to February, 2007, following the country’s elections. Fortunately, since the political parties had agreed to a period of peace, we were able to distribute to the 4,000 children selected by Rotary, and started enthusiastically into the distribution of the 4,000 bedkits to be supervised by the Lions Club of Dhaka, Supreme View.

Along with the Rotary Club of Dhaka (See Report 6 – Our Rotary OVO), the Lions Club of Dhaka has been our volunteer service club for many years. The chair of the Club, Mr. Hadi, and his wife, Marzan, have fond memories of visiting Murray Dryden in Toronto. Mr. Hadi emotionally recalls Murray laying his hands on his head and blessing him. The Lions are involved in a number of social service activities. They are devoted to the SCAW program and to the children of Bangladesh.

The Hadis, along with their sons, Rahman and Nahian, and extended family members, have faithfully participated in the distributions over the past several years. As the SCAW team watched the unveiling of the sample bedkit, Marzan’s talent for design and colour was immediately apparent in the beautiful outfits for the girls. Rahman and Nahian have grown into conscientious young men who willingly supervise the dressing of the boys and ready them for the photographs. They enthusiastically assume any job that facilitates the smooth running of the distribution. Nahian was invaluable as interpreter during the parent surveys. He also displayed some talent as a cricketer.

Even as Professor Muhammad Yunus, Bangladeshi economist and microfinance pioneer, was being feted for winning the Nobel Peace Prize, political tempers flared and the opposition 14-Party Alliance laid siege to Dhaka City, blocking roads and bridges. Two days into the Lions' distribution, the SCAW Team was virtually grounded.

We waited patiently, but, as the situation demonstrated the potential to escalate, and our hearts heavy with the disappointment of not reaching the last 2,500 children, we returned to the peace and safety of Canada.

We pray that the kind and courageous people of Bangladesh will find peace and prosperity. Abar dakha hobe.

Linda Webb
SCAW Travelling Volunteer

Bangladesh: Bangladesh on the Map

Sunday, Nov.12, 2006

On our Bangladesh map there is an inset entitled "Bangladesh in the World." The tiny red dot appears insignificant in the grand scheme of things but we now know that this dot represents millions of warm, hospitable people, most of whom are struggling to eke out an existence. Often in countries such as this, where corruption in business and politics is the norm, where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, frustrations give way to political unrest. Such is the case in Bangladesh at the moment.

Normal life and business activities have come to a standstill as an indefinite blockade programme, enforced by a fourteen-party alliance, started Sunday across the country. This initiative has brought Dhaka, and the SCAW team, to a standstill. Although it is easy to understand what motivated the opposition to strike, it is difficult to see what will be gained from it.

The hiatus has given us time to reflect on where we have been, what we have done, and on the many fascinating people we have met along the way. We have already written about our volunteer partners and their efforts to help their people but working in Bangladesh are many more folks who have a heart for humanitarian efforts here.

One such person is an obstetrician/gynecologist from New York whom we met on the plane from London. She came to Dhaka to study the work of BRAC, which is the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee. BRAC is recognized as one of the foremost national initiatives for providing aid to rural areas in the world. Small villages have centres where women are taught to use the skills handed down to them to create crafts such as needlework, weaving, pottery, and beadwork.

Outlets for sale of the goods provide income to purchase more materials and support for the women and their families. BRAC also has local schools which enable students to attend at times more convenient to their work obligations while extra help gives the struggling student a chance to succeed. BRAC University takes these young people one step further as they gain education they need to get ahead. Women’s’ health issues are of some concern to BRAC and because of our friend’s expertise she was able to initiate a programme to give local midwives ongoing training which would enable them to provide safer deliveries and to recognize the need to transfer the woman to hospital if the situation warranted it.

Visiting slums and rural homes, hospitals and clinics, she was able to share her knowledge to improve conditions here. Having retired from active practice, she is now planning on using her gifts, along with what she gained from her time with BRAC, to start a similar programme in Colombia. It was a privilege to spend time with this woman.

It has often been said that it is a small world and this has never been more true than during our time in Dhaka. A volunteer in the SCAW office in Toronto has a sister whose husband is affiliated with the British Embassy here. Over the past two weeks she has been most helpful, providing travel advisories and updates and last evening, inviting us to dinner with her family.

A teacher by profession, she told us about a volunteer project which assists girls here in the city. Thirty of these girls are orphans who are learning to sew, with a view to eventually being able to work independently or in the garment industry to earn a living. The materials — including the sewing machines — were purchased by our friend to get the programme started. Successes are celebrated by all involved.

A somewhat more ambitious project involves former sex trade workers, some very young, to enable them to get off of the street. Bringing with them a myriad of emotional problems, these young women enjoy fewer gains, but nonetheless the programme continues to give them a chance to get their lives on the right track. All this just for the joy of helping someone, makes this woman a very special woman and a real joy to know.

Murray Dryden was fond of telling the Starfish Story: A young boy was walking along a beach strewn with starfish washed up on shore. As he walked, the boy picked up a starfish and threw it back into the water, repeating this often as he went. Watching him, a somewhat cynical man asked, “What good do you think that will do? There are thousands of them.” The young man bent down, picked up a starfish, and threw it back. “It will make a difference to that one!”

Surely this is what SCAW and our new friends are doing. Unable to undertake a project to change a nation, people are being helped one at a time — and lives are being changed.

Ron and Mary Ann King
SCAW Travelling Volunteers

Bangladesh: Traffic in Bangladesh

After two weeks here, we have reached the stage where we are looking forward to sitting in rush hour traffic on the 401.

To distribute the SCAW bed kits, we have to travel to sites in the inner city of Dhaka and in villages — often remote — elsewhere in Bangladesh, sometimes many hours away. We have travelled by boat but we usually travel as a group in a van.

In the city, although the traffic does move, it is amazingly congested. There are more than 200,000 pedal-cabs, a whole bunch of natural gas motorbike-cabs, regular cabs, regular buses, a variety of private buses, large and small (hustling for business) and trucks, trucks, trucks.

The pedal-cabs, and their commercial equivalents: freight rickshaws, seem to be the vehicles which keep things going. They shift people and goods through traffic jams and along sidewalks and lanes. They are pollution free. Without them and the increasing number of natural gas vehicles the air would be un-breathable. All sorts of people — men, women and children, smartly dressed and less smartly dressed — use them and enjoy them, The freight rickshaws carry everything: a complete set of bedroom furniture, bundles of bamboo five or six times the length of the vehicle, huge mounds of produce (often with the owner perched on top), incredibly heavy loads of metal, great baskets of chickens, and apparently tottering (but remarkably secure) mounds of garbage or recycling material.

The regular buses are massively built, un-kept on the outside, generally built by Tata/Mercedes The Tata corporation, originally in steel, was founded in the Indian state of Bengal, much of which became Bangladesh. These vehicles are built for really heavyduty wear and tear. They often operate on rough roads, they stop and start all day long, and they appear to be over loaded all the time with people inside and out. Often, there seem to be as many on top as inside. But they clearly function as a system, shipping hundreds of thousands around and in and out of Dhaka, daily.

What we think of as the private buses range from minibuses to full sized vehicles. They have a hustler, often a young boy, who seems to shout out where the bus is heading and where it will stop for customers who climb on board. These too are filled beyond capacity but fewer people seem to ride on top perhaps because the roofs are less suited for sitting.

The trucks are also often built by Tata. They are tank-like versions of the buses. They also operate grossly overloaded. Often with passengers on top.

In the city, there are sometimes six lines of traffic (there are no lanes) with rickshaws and pedestrians winding their way through. Once, our own van traveled a full block against such a stream of traffic without exciting any more horn blowing than usual. We are told that there are relatively few serious accidents in town, presumably because the pace is so slow.

This does not hold true in the country. The main roads outside the city are good two-lane highways generally built up above the low-lying delta farmland. There are still rickshaws and pedestrians and there are still buses and trucks, as described above. However, here on the open road driving is one great big game of chicken. You put your foot down, lean on your horn, and go for it. Pedestrians and livestock on the edge of the road causeway, rickshaws, and oncoming vehicles are all fair game. You drive on your own side, in the oncoming lane, and on such shoulder as there is – anywhere to keep moving. In this environment, from the vantage point of a minivan, the Tata trucks and buses really do look like tanks with cheering troops on the top, revelling in the speed. Horrific accidents are reported from these roads daily – tens of deaths and scores of injured in a single bus crash.

You would think that you would be glad to turn off some of these highways onto the country lanes that we have to use to get to SCAW distribution sites. These are really single lane roads, generally with a good asphalt surface, again built up above flood level, with narrow foot paths alongside. Again you see rickshaws, which function very well in the villages but with more pedestrians and livestock. A peaceful, idyllic, situation you might think. Not on your life. Anyone with a motorized vehicle, including us, drives as quickly as possible using the horn as a threat rather than as a warning. This is one-lane chicken rather than two. The rickshaw peddlers are hardy souls who love this game. They delight in showing the motor drivers that they control the road – even when the motorized vehicle is coming towards them. On these roads, our van often leans precariously toward the slope leading down into a paddy field, river, or pond.

On these trips, only our leader Ms Linda gets any real sleep. After four SCAW visits to Bangladesh, we guess that it is possible to get used to the traffic.

Peter Adams
SCAW Travelling Volunteer

Bangladesh: Photo Album 5

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Bangladesh November 11

Bangladesh: Children in Bangladesh

People who read the reports of SCAW volunteers or who regularly read items on the SCAW Web site, are used to descriptions of the children who attend the bedkit distributions in poor urban setting or remote villages. The recipients arrive early, by bus, boat, or on foot, often traveling many hours. They are excited and become more excited as they change into new clothes and sit patiently while the bedkits are being given out. Their brothers and sisters come with them and are equally excited and enthralled. These are emotional family occasions.

Also standing around the site, watching the proceedings are children whose families have not been selected for kits. This is a heart-wrenching experience for all SCAW travelling teams. On this trip, we are giving away 8,000 kits but this is a drop in the bucket in a country of over 150 million people in which children abound.


You see children everywhere.

• The five day old baby in the middle of a large communal bed, lying on a SCAW bed mat from last year. The bed occupies two thirds of a room which is home to eight people: the baby under a net frame like the ones we used to use to keep flies off food.


• The three or four year old child carrying a doll-like infant, scrambling in horrific traffic for pennies.


• Boys playing cricket*, with a real bat and a rubber ball, in the only open space in an inner city slum.


• A toddler playing, and occasionally appearing to plant a seed, in front of a line of family members, many not much older than she, systematically planting a field by a roadside.


• A child waking and stretching on its sidewalk sleeping mat an hour or so after dawn, watched over by a woman left by a family whose rolled sleeping mats are stored for the day on a wall beside the already incredibly busy street.


• Children playing cricket* on a sand bank (presumably with a ball which floats).
  Children among the crowd on top of a packed bus traveling at over 100km/hr on a packed highway. (We saw the wreck of a bus which had crashed the previous day, killing fifteen, and injuring fifty.)


• A little girl throwing rocks at those of her twenty or so cattle which ventured too close to the train track.


• Six boys under five years, carefully sorting a truck load of garbage.


• Children playing cricket* in a paddy field, sliding in the mud for the ball.


• A family, parents, and three very young children breaking up a truckload of bricks — presumably to make gravel — each with a small hammer. (There are essentially no rocks in Bangladesh, which is mainly underlain by the silt of the world’s largest delta.)


• Small boys being moved on from in front of a store where they were watching cricket on TV.


• Teenage girls in sari-like school uniforms, proudly going to school.


• A young teenager peddling a rickshaw piled high with produce, on a traffic-clogged street, with a toddler proudly sitting on top of the load.

This is a country of children. They abound – in the rural areas and the packed cities, by day and by night. In Canada, most of us have forgotten what it is like to live in a neighbourhood full of kids. Even when there are children in our home communities, they spend long hours indoors and in school. We forget them and tend to keep them quiet even when they are excited.

We forget that they are our life and our future, that they are us as we were.

Here in Bangladesh, they have not forgotten such things. While we should never glamorize the lives of children here, no one can deny that they are front and centre in the life of the nation.

Peter Adams
SCAW Travelling Volunteers

Bangladesh: Photo Album 4

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Bangladesh November 9

Bangladesh: By steamer on the river

Dear SCAW Donors,

As Bangladesh is essentially one huge delta, its rivers, fingers of water which are the entry to the sea of the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers (Padma and Jamuna in Bangladesh) of India, are the real highways of the nation. When travelling on the crowded highways, you are made aware of this by the frequent river crossings, some of them causeways and bridges more than 10 km long. In the rainy season, you must be even more aware of this when half of the country may be flooded. However, the ultimate way to appreciate the roles of rivers in Bangladesh is to travel on them.

We had been to some of the river ports for bedkit distributions and seen the teeming life in them: ships and boats of all sizes loading and unloading, sometimes with cranes and pumps but most often by means of human labour; men carrying impossible loads of iron bars and huge sacks; endless human chains with baskets of sand, filling an entire ship. At these locations, we also caught a glimpse of the people who live by and on the rivers. They depend on the rivers for everything.

One of our major bedkit distributions was at the ancient port of Barisal, the port where, years ago, the British set up their government, arriving by river from Calcutta. To reach and return from this site, we travelled overnight, around ten hours by steamer. We arrived in the port of Dhaka as the sun was going down on the 6th. We found organized chaos as tens of thousands, like ourselves, were there to board ships for different parts of the country. Some of the ships were huge – three decks like football fields, upon which people sat or lay. Families arrived early to stake out a sleeping and eating area. Where it was really crowded, people sat to sleep. Where there was more room, they lay down. The larger boats must have had many thousands of passengers.

As far as we could tell, our vessel had under a thousand passengers on one and a half decks. You could not walk between people. There were whole families — grandparents, parents, and children — all excited and happy and glad to be going home to their villages from Dhaka.

We set off exactly on time and pulled out into the bustling, dark, river. Around us there were taxi-like rowboats, more large ferries like ours, freighters large and small, with the lights of the city all around. We were able to sit near the bow of the ship watching all of this with the aid of a scanning, probing, spotlight which kept us away from other vessels. The small freighters going by us very low in the water often had families on board sitting on top of the cabin or cargo enjoying the cool evening air. The vessel wended it way through rafts of water hyacinth. Even though still a long way inland, the tides of the Bay of Bengal affected our progress throughout the voyage.


We were fortunate to have tiny cabins, each with two campbed-like beds. There was a shared washroom. We ate in a central wardroom, good Bangladeshi food that we had already come to appreciate. We were also very fortunate in that two of our host Rotarians were traveling with us. They were a fount of information about the ship, the river, and the regions through which we passed.

At dawn on the 7th, we arrived in the port of Barisal: nowadays the centre of one of the most rural parts of Bangladesh. Outside of the port the people live in tiny villages. They depend on agriculture and inland and sea fishing. The family of our host Rotarian had lived in the area for generations. We distributed 700 bedkits during a very busy and exciting day, from the courtyard of his home – but that’s another story.

That evening, just before dark, we returned to Barisal to board our steamer home to Dhaka.

Barisal is not Dhaka: there were several large ferries and many boats, but nowhere near the overwhelming sights and sounds of a great city. As we waited for our ship to arrive we watched others boarding theirs, buying provisions for the trip: bananas, cooked nuts and beans, Bangladeshi pancakes, and the like. We also watched people who lived on and around the dock settling in for the night. One lady with two young children was staking a section of a walkway (which would be deserted once the steamers had left) for the night. There were groups of very young children – four whose leader was a girl of no more than eight years who lived on the streets around there. The girl had an open ulcer on her foot. We were a great source of entertainment for them.

When our ship arrived, it was a paddle wheel diesel, built in the 1920s. Its first passenger, we were told, was a Governor General of India. Queen Elizabeth (perhaps the Queen’s mother?) had travelled on it. It was smaller than our previous ship but equally crowded, this time with people travelling on the roof, as people do on trains and buses here.

We had smaller cabins than before, leading off a smaller “state room” which exuded ancient splendour. There was a key for the washroom – that is to say one key between us – which was some distance from where we slept with the intervening space often occupied by sleeping people. We were served traditional British food on the tiny foredeck – excellent fish and chips.

We came up to Dhaka at sunrise and saw the great river and its banks through the mist. Hundreds of craft, large and small. Banks lined with factories, brickyards and ship building and repair facilities. At one location, we saw around 12 ships in drydock (at the upper flood level) each at a different stage of construction. Although it was barely light. Everyone was hard at work: the welders, the gangs loading ships, and the boat taxis.

At the harbour — among tens of passenger ships, most larger than ours — we again saw the extraordinary bustle of life of this great port city. Amidst all the bustle there were people, children, adults, families, still fast asleep in corners or on passageways where people walked round them or stepped over them. One young girl was fast asleep lying face down of a huge sack of something – total unaware that thousands of people were passing by. We saw one person who had died in the night, picked up by men with a freight rickshaw.

We were home in Dhaka, ready for the downtown distribution of 226 bedkits. One of the recipients was a blind boy, another was a little girl who was sick to vomiting but did not want to leave the line, yet another was a tot who was very upset because she had lost sight of her mother who was too shy to come forward. This is why we are here. This day we reached 4,000 bedkits for Bangladesh, 4,000 families touched with hope, but yet so few in the great scheme of things.

But, as Murray Dryden said, "You help those you can, one at a time."

Peter Adams
SCAW Travelling Volunteer

Bangladesh: Photo Album 3

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Bangladesh November 8

Bangladesh: Photo Album 2

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Bangladesh November 7

Bangladesh: Chakhar, Barisal

The gate was draped with brightly coloured bunting displaying a welcome to all. It was truly a festive occasion — certainly long anticipated. Everyone in the village was there. When we arrived following our steamer ride, at seven thirty in the morning, the children were already lining up.

Captain Moazzam Hossain had opened his ancestral home for the distribution and had erected a brightly coloured canopy over the courtyard. Families crowded round the edge to catch a glimpse of the proceedings as we readied the bedkit for the photos.

Seven hundred area children received their gift, the first in their area to have done so.
The last bedkit was given out and the whole group gathered. Dignitaries thanked the SCAW team. Those who had organized the distribution were acknowledged. The entire Rotary Club of Chakhar was in attendance.

What followed was a display of folk dancing which was truly amazing. A beautifully costumed young girl twisted and twirled, the bells circling her ankles keeping the rhythm of the dance as her feet slapped the ground. Traditional Bangladeshi music played as our host quietly translated so that the story of the dance would become clear.

Dressed as a young women, and looking very much the part, a boy took centre stage. Again our appreciation of the dance was enhanced by the translation as the young man told a story of looking for water. These dances have been passed down for many generations, and are obviously still cherished by the Chakhar villagers.

Captain Hossain treated us to a tour of the village and, as always, we had a large following. The village, we learned, is truly special. The population is about 40% Muslim. Hindus make up 20% and the remainder is a blend of Christians, Bhuddists, and other faiths. The wonderful part of the story is that they celebrate their differences. All the villagers celebrate the festival of Eid along with Christmas and others as they occur. They live and work in harmony, a model for villages the world over. Captain Hossain obviously cares about those folks who live and work on his estate, striving to improve their standard of living by developing market gardening and operating a feed lot, to name a few of his initiatives. He is truly loved and respected. It was a pleasure for us to get to know him just a little and enjoy the hospitality he and his family offered.

There is no doubt that Chakhar’s first SCAW distribution was much appreciated and they expressed hope that SCAW would return next year.

As the daylight waned and we made our way back through the “City of Rickshaws,” we had time to reflect on what was, indeed, an adventure. The Ostrich, a 1929 paddle steamer, took us on an overnight journey back to Dhaka, where we would complete the last of our Rotary sponsored distributions.

Ron and Mary Ann King
SCAW Travelling Volunteers

Bangladesh: SCAW Bedkit Questionnaire

Dear SCAW Donors,

In an effort to ensure that we are meeting the needs of the children, SCAW is conducting surveys during 2006/7 distributions.

We displayed a bedkit and asked five parents to examine the bedkit items and make their comments from the questionnaire. On this particular day, there were four mothers and one father.

The Bangladesh bedkit is a generous one. In addition to the basic items of mattress, bedsheets, pillow/case, mosquito net, and blanket, the bedkit also contains two sets of clothing, a school bag, water flask, drinking mug, lunch box and a wool shawl to wear during the winter season.

We asked each parent individually to make their comments as to:

• the usefullness of the items,


• which items they valued the most,


• which item they valued the least, and


• what other items they would like included.

As we neared the end of the survey we had generated a large group from the village! The Bangladesh people are very friendly and are naturally inquisitive!

It was indeed a wonderful experience for me to talk with the parents of children receiving a bedkit. All the parents were united is expressing their thanks for the bedkits and said, "Please come back the Bangladesh."

It was interesting to note that they valued the entire bedkit way beyond the actual cost of $30.00 CAD. This suggests that our Rotary partners are doing a good job of seeking out the best value for the best prices. It truly was a special time that will stay with me forever.

As one member of the Rotary Club of Dhaka said, "We can all rejoice in knowing that, as each child opens the bedkit, they can look forward to a warm and cozy sleep and attend school: the basic right of every child."

Norma Fenner
SCAW Travelling Volunteer

Bangladesh: Our Rotary OVO

SCAW's Overseas Volunteer Organization in Dhaka

For the third time this week we wound our way through Dhaka traffic to the Retired Army Officers' Welfare Club where over five hundred kids waited patiently for their turn to receive a bedkit. Again our Rotarian hosts had arranged for these children to be brought to the site by bus from various outlying areas. Pictured here: (Left to Right) Rtn. Mirza Hossain, Chair of the SCAW program; Rtn. Khandker Hasan, President; Rtn. Rafiqul Rowly, Past President; Rtn. Taherullah, Sgt-at-Arms.

We are constantly reminded of our partners' commitment to SCAW. The Rotarians with whom we are working here in Dhaka have virtually put their lives on hold during the distributions. Making sure that the children, the bedkits and the help required to keep things rolling all arrive at the site is a Herculean task.

Add to this months of preparation with Rotarians travelling to all parts of the country choosing locations and registering children, and you have an idea of the cost in time and money for these folks. As a team we are so grateful for their care of us.
We have been thoroughly spoiled as our hosts have personally provided for our safety and well being.

The SCAW programme is only one of many projects sponsored by the Dhaka Rotary Club. They also sponsor: a literacy project, a weekly free health clinic, a medical boat, a microcredit programme for women, and a polio vaccination initiative. Our hosts are a dedicated group striving to help their people.

The SCAW system only works because of the teamwork involved and our partners here are only one group of many commited partners who enable SCAW to complete the process of the thirty dollars becoming a bedkit in a needy child's hand.

To our Rotary hosts and to all of the partners with whom SCAW works in many countries go our thanks for helping to make Murray and Margaret's dream -- and that of our many, many donors -- a reality.

Mary Ann King
SCAW Travelling Volunteer

Bangladesh: Photo Album 1

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Bangladesh November 6

Bangladesh: Dhaka Distributions

Today we had a bedkit distribution in the city of Dhaka. The site was the retired officers’ club (RAOWA), under a huge bamboo tent structure which had been used for a wedding celebration for 1200 people. The shade provided by the beautiful wedding canopy was most welcome but it was somewhat disconcerting that men with bare feet were climbing around the bamboos, taking the pavilion apart while we were in it.

The distribution went well – over 400 bedkits. This was the first day when we knowingly presented kits to HIV/AIDS children. Our partners, the Rotary Club of Dhaka, had contacted a local care group to select the children.

During the distribution, a young woman from Vancouver came in to introduce herself. She had been walking by and came over to see what was going on. She was as surprised to see us as we were to see her. We were sorry that we could not be more sociable but the flow-through of hundreds of children is like a tide which cannot be stopped.

It is quite rare for bedkit distributions on this massive scale to go off without a hitch. The hitches are not overemphasized in these reports but they are a major feature of the daily team-sponsor critiques. This day, we had trouble with the cameras which are a vital part of the SCAW system. The heat and humidity got to our main camera.

This was the day of the weekly Rotary meeting. We were invited by our hosts to attend. This was a very pleasant and informative occasion. “Ms Linda”, our leader, is very well respected here.

Peter Adams
SCAW Travelling Volunteer

Bangladesh: Bhairab and Hobiganj

Today, the 3rd of November, was the official deadline for the Interim Government of Bangladesh to demonstrate that it is operating in a non-partisan fashion. The deadline was agreed to by the major parties as a device for ending the riots of a week ago. This made us tense when we left at 7 AM for the three-hour drive from Dhaka to Bhairab for our first distribution of bedkits of the day. In any event, in part because Friday is Prayer Day, the city and the countryside were calmer than usual although large numbers of police and troops were present in the city.

Bhairab is a bustling river port even on Prayer Day. All sorts of produce and construction materials were being loaded and off-loaded to and from small and large boats and ships. The cargoes included a large number of our bedkit children and their families who had travelled several hours by river to be with us. When they went home some hours later, they needed one extra craft as their incredibly loaded vessel could not contain the bedkits.

We distributed 600 bedkits which included two sets of clothing to 600 children using the “group method” – ten children being photographed at a time. Our depot for the bedkits was a government warehouse which usually stores grain for use during food shortages. The grain comes from the hinterland of the port which is extraordinarily productive delta farm land. The children who did not come by boat came from this region which appeared all the more rural to us by contrast with the teeming life of our base city, Dhaka.

We then drove for a couple of hours to Hobiganj for our second distribution of the day. The entire route was through rural Bangladesh including an extensive tea plantation area which was the only part of our route that was more than a metre or so above water level. This region must be quite different during the rains.

At Hobiganj we distributed more than a 100 bedkits to local children in the enclosed courtyard of a home belonging to the father-in-law of one of our host Rotarians. This was a great contrast to our morning in the port of Bhairab. The home was part of a region of small, often very small, rural settlements — very self-contained and pleasant. Our hosts family had lived there for generations.

As we started our drive home at dusk, we saw one of “our” children walking proudly through her hamlet wearing a dress from her bedkit.

We returned to Dhaka in the dark, by a devious route, because our host Rotarian thought that it would be safer than the direct route. And so to bed after a great, successful, SCAW day in Bangladesh.

Peter Adams
SCAW Travelling Volunteer

Bangladesh: First Day of Distributions

Greetings from our fearless leader, Linda,
First-timers Norma Fenner and Jill & Peter Adams, and
Second-timers Ron & Mary Ann King:

The Bangladesh 2006 adventure continues to unfold, leaving us all much food for thought. Two very busy days have left us tired, but have nonetheless affirmed our commitment to SCAW and all that it stands for.

On Tuesday, our Rotary hosts arranged a visit to the homes of families who had previously been given bedkits. These folks live in the slums of Dhaka, home to hundreds of thousands of families, many of whom are the working poor. Entering from a long narrow passageway, we observed our first family: three generations sharing a room about ten by twelve feet. Serving as the bedroom, living room, and dining room, the area was clean and well-organized -- every inch of wall space being used for clothes, cooking pots, and whatever else is required to maintain the group. However, these details were only noted after we had greeted the newest member of the family: the beautiful five-day-old child who lay under a netting closely watched by a very young, unsmiling mother who was no doubt apprehensive as to the purpose of our visit. The love of her family, so evident in each of their faces, would ensure that this tiny child, so lacking in material wealth, would indeed be treasured.

In each of the other seven rooms along the passageway, this scene was repeated. In the common kitchen, young women smiled for our cameras as they prepared dinner for their families. We left with no doubts about the suitability of the bedkits, as each had served the families well. The group was strangely quiet as we wove our way home through the indescribable Dhaka traffic.

Wednesday saw us starting our first distribution within Dhaka city. Children had been gathered from communities, many outside the city, to a central location. Happily, the children, for the most part, appeared healthy and well cared for. We can't say enough about the quality of the bedkits: each contained almost twenty very useful and well-made items.

Our first-time team members now have an idea of what we have all been talking about. The beautiful smiles and the shy thankyou's made their day.

Before returning home we were treated to a visit to a factory where the backpacks were made that are contained in the bedkits. The word "factory" creates a certain picture in our minds, but the reality of a factory in Bangladesh is very different. A narrow alleyway leads from a very busy street to a climb up three flights of dark, narrow stairs to the room that is the factory. In this room, lit by two lights and cooled by two windows and a single ceiling fan, two shifts of fifteen men cut, assemble, and stitch (on old treadle machines) a variety of different bags, earning about eighty Canadian dollars a month. The owner provides food for the workers, who eat, sleep, and work in the factory. The quality of the backpacks is good and only points out that they are made with care by men who strive to produce quality work.

If only we could magicly transport each of you, the donors, to share just a few moments of the Bangladesh experience. The sights, the sounds, the smells, the shy smiles, have all all meshed to provide a memorable beginning to the Bangladesh 2006 SCAW distribution.

Mary Ann King
SCAW Travelling Volunteer