Philippines: Photo Album 8

Philippines 2007 - Album 8

From Philippines Photo Album 8

As Murray Dryden used to say: “There is nothing more peaceful than a sleeping child.”

Philippines: Day 7 — “Dr. Ito, I presume”

Finally I’ve met “Ito,” Dr. Juan Torres, the doctor from the Philippines that *Dad always raved about. Ito and Dad shared a mutual respect for each other and a passion for Kiwanis and Sleeping Children.

Over the past twenty years or so, close to 100,000 Filipino children have received bedkits under Dr. Torres’ leadership.

After meeting Ito this week, I now understand Dad’s feelings for him. He is a character!!! Charming, mischievously playful, and extremely intelligent.

Our whole team thinks he is great. We can’t seem to get enough of his stories and insight!

His volunteer team, that includes his family, friends, and fellow Kiwanians, has superbly organized this year’s distribution — as usual.

Two thousand children have received bedkits with three thousand more to go!

Thanks, Ito!!!!

Dave Dryden
for the 2007 SCAW Philippines Travelling Team
*SCAW co-founder, Murray Dryden

Philippines: Photo Album 7

From Philippines Photo Album 7

Philippines 2007 - Album 7

Philippines: Day 6 — A glimpse into our homes

From Philippines Photo Album 6

Yesterday we were fortunate enough to distribute bedkits at two extra-special sites where we were able to visit the homes of the bedkit recipients.

During our travels through the city we have seen a number of “squatter” homes in public areas such as on riverbanks or under highway bridges. One of these under-bridge neighborhoods is in an area called Escopa. It is home to over 300 families. A year ago, their neighbourhood was completely destroyed by fire. Those that had little were left with nothing. The distribution site was a recreation centre that housed these displaced families for most of the last year. Your amazing gifts to these children have renewed their hope.

The second distribution was in Mandaluyong at a Children’s Home for orphan, abandoned, and exploited children. In the short time we had to visit with these children, they captured our hearts. They also allowed us to see where they were living.

We were inspired by the commitment and passion of the social workers and local volunteers to these children. We know their hard work provides these children with basic needs but also opportunities to excel through their access to school.

On a personal note, the travelling team wants to thank all those who have checked out our live reports and sent us comments. It has been great to read your messages. Keep them coming!

Nancy Holt
for the 2007 SCAW Philippines Travelling Team

Philippines: Photo Album 6

From Philippines Photo Album 6

Philippines 2007 - Album 6

Philippines: Day 5 — Going home with gifts

From Philippines Photo Album 5

The day is full of anticipation, for not only the children, but parents and guardians as well. Many of the recipients arrive three to four hours prior to the start of the distribution. Like any child on Christmas day, complete excitement wakes them unusually early.

These children come from near and far. Perhaps the journey is a short walk or an one-hour drive in a jeepney. They come by motorized tricycle, bus, or motorcycle. And some walk up to 3 kilometres to get to the site.

What a treat it is to see these same children at the end of the day, their faces beaming as they depart the site with their bedkit!

Nancy Holt
for the 2007 SCAW Philippines Travelling Team

Philippines: Photo Album 5

Philippines 2007 - Album 5

From Philippines Photo Album 5

Uganda: They're on their way

Most of the Uganda team left Toronto airport on their way to Kampala last night. More reports will be posted as they carry out the SCAW 2007 Uganda bedkit distribution. Sieg Will is joining them later in the week.

Pictured here: (Left to Right) Kathy Devine, Blair Lesage, Linda Lesage, Grant and Leslie Clark (Team Leaders), Debbie Will-Dryden.

Philippines: Day 4 — Antipolo’s rich history

Revised: Wednesday, May 23, 2007

From Philippines Photo Album 4

Our first distribution was in the Antipolo area, which is about a one-hour drive from our hotel in Manila.

Antipolo is named after a type of tree. It is home to a beautiful church which holds the The Virgin of Peace and Good Voyage.  However, it is known by WW2 survivors as a fierce battleground. One of the last battles towards the end the war in 1945 was fought in the hills of Antipolo where many men on both sides lost their lives.

There is still much poverty in the area but today 300 children have received a gift of bedkits, clothes, and school supplies which gives encouragement for today and hope for their future.

Revised by Nancy Holt,
as supervised by Dr. Juan Torres,
on behalf of the 2007 SCAW Philippines Team
(Yes, he is standing over my shoulder right now making sure this gets done while giggling the whole time.)

Philippines: Photo Album 4

Philippines 2007 - Album 4

From Philippines Photo Album 4

Philippines: Day 3 — Our first Aktion Day

Today was a very special day for us … not only was it the first day of distribution but it was also a day which we distributed 350 bedkits were donated by Aktion Clubs across United States and Canada.

Stuart McCormick the President of the Kiwanis Club of Scarborough and Advisor to the Toronto Aktion Club. He has provided us some insight to this wonderful group and a special SCAW team member Anthony Ng:

From Philippines Photo Album 3

The $24,000 CAD funds provided to SCAW for the bedkits were donated from participating Aktion Clubs in North America and the Kiwanis International Foundation. Aktion Club is a service club for adults living with a disability.

The first Aktion Club began in 1987 in Florida and has grown to over 250 clubs with 5000+ members worldwide. Their motto is Service In Aktion. The Aktion Club Service Initiative for SCAW began as a single club BBQ fundraiser by the Aktion Club of Toronto. From there it was adopted as the first Service Initiative with every Aktion Club invited to participate. The goal was to raise $10,000 USD with the Kiwanis International Foundation to match dollar for dollar. The campaign kicked off October 1, 2006 and the funds were raised in just 4 months. Visit our website for more details.

We are very proud of Anthony and his commitment to travel with SCAW and personally deliver bedkits. Anthony joined the Aktion Club of Toronto in 2004. In 2005 he was elected Vice President and in 2006 was elected as President. Anthony is a doer who enjoys helping others. He cares about the members of the Aktion Club and wants to serve his community. Anthony is an excellent role model for Aktion Club, Kiwanis and SCAW. Anthony enjoys food, people and volunteering.

Stuart R. McCormack PLG
Aktion Club Administrator
Eastern Canada & Caribbean
Kiwanis International

Thanks to Stuart for this contribution!

2007 Philippines Traveling Team
Ken Graham (Team leader), Elaine McDougall, Anthony Ng, Sandra Dryden, Dave Dryden and Nancy Holt

Philippines: Photo Album 3

Philippines 2007 - Album 3

From Philippines Photo Album 3

Philippines: Day 2 — Preparation Day

What a wonderful day the team enjoyed today! We were able to see a wonderful cross section of the Greater Manila area. Our new friends have started to give us a brief history of the city, culture, and people. It is very fortunate that we have such knowledgeable and forthcoming guides.

If we only had one word to share with you about our day it would be “organization” — perhaps “hot” would have come in second?!?

The SCAW team was able to meet with the Kiwanis Club to discuss the upcoming and highly anticipated distribution. The overseas organizing committee has, one could perhaps say, gone the extra kilometre or perhaps ten. Each day, activity, and logistic detail has been well-planned and carefully documented.

From Philippines Photo Album 2

Our hosts also provided a tour of the bedkit warehouse today (where all 5000 bedkits were assembled and stored) and also allowed us the opportunity to observe the last few bedkits being packed. What a great experience for us!!! We were able to see the thought and care that was put into the packing process and also view the items for the first time.

Every company’s supply chain should be so efficient as our host’s operation. The packed bedkit was weighed, measured, and its total dimensions calculated to ensure appropriately sized transports were ordered for each site. (The concern was that if the truck were too small, the bedkit would be compromised.) Each truck has been scheduled for pickup and a superior system of checks and balances have been put in place to ensure the right number of bedkits will arrive at each site in a timely manner.

The entire team is very much looking forward to our first distribution day tomorrow. We promise to send you lots of wonderful pictures of these sweet children!

Stay Tuned!

2007 Philippines Traveling Team
Ken Graham (Team leader), Elaine McDougall, Anthony Ng, Sandra Dryden, Dave Dryden and Nancy Holt

Philippines: Photo Album 2

Philippines 2007 - Album 2

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Philippines: Day 1 — Welcome to Manila

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The traveling team has arrived safely in the Philippines. Members of the Kiwanis Club of Manila very warmly greeted the team at the airport and have escorted us to our accommodations. Dr. Torres and his team have really done an amazing job to ensure we are safe and comfortable.

The flights went very well and it took approximately 24 hours from takeoff in Toronto until arriving in Manila. The Philippines is exactly 12 hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Savings Time, so Ken is quite excited that he did not even have to change his watch!!!! The team is a little jetlagged, but after a good night's sleep will be ready for their upcoming adventures.

We will meet with our overseas volunteers tomorrow for a pre-distribution meeting as well as a tour of the warehouse where the bedkit items are packed and stored. After such a long trip preparation and such long travel times, it is an exciting thought to be able to see the bedkits for the first time in just a couple of hours. Dave and Ken will have visions of blankets, clothes, and mats dancing in their heads instead of sugarplums tonight.

Click to view Photo Album Use "comments" link below to send a message to the team.

We look forward to keeping you updated with frequent live reports ... Stay tuned!

SCAW 2007 Philippines Travelling Team: (Left to Right): Nancy Holt, Dave Dryden, Anthony Ng, Sandra Dryden, Ken Graham (Team Leader), Elaine McDougall

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:

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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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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

Click to browse this Photo Album.

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

Click to browse this Photo Album.

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

Click to browse this Photo Album.

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

Click to browse this Photo Album.

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