Philippines: A Day of Rest

Today we had a late start to drive through horrible Manila traffic to Fort Santiago located in the northern part of the walled city. The Fort was used by the Japanese to intern both Philippinos and Americans. Many died of starvation or drowning in the dungeons from the incoming tides.

Then we went to see the cathedral where they were set up for one fancy wedding for a TV movie. The church was filled with masses of flowers. Things were running late as surprisingly the groom was somewhere stuck in traffic.

At UST University of St Tomas, the oldest university in the Philippines we had a special tour of their museum and art gallery and were taken to the top of the tower for a birds eye view of the city.

In the afternoon we visited the orphanage of the Sisters of Charity which is the order of Mother Theresa. We delivered bags of clothing donated by many friends and soup mix Chris got from the Mennonites. Many children are handicapped. The toddlers really enjoyed the Canadian flag beach ball. Understandably we were not allowed to take pictures of the children.




Judi Fenton for SCAW Philippines 2015
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Philippines: An Alumni Returns!!

Today a shy young lady visited our distribution site in Mabalacat with her proud mother. Sharlene Tayag was  carrying a worn and faded woven sleeping mat. She was a seven year year old child back in 1999 when she was thrilled be chosen to receive a SCAW bedkit. She said that she felt blessed and knew she had to work hard to prove that she deserved the honour. Amazingly, Sharlene has just graduated from Papanga State Agricultural University and will soon be a practicing Veterinarian caring for large animals. She believes in paying back and does volunteer work whenever she can. She still sleeps on her precious mat every night.


Janet Henley for team Philippines
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Philippines: Angeles

In the afternoon today we traveled to the old Clark Airforce Base in Angeles, to distribute another 300 bedkits.

There were over 100 aboriginal children who live in the mountains at the edge of the base, in the group.

We had more smiles and giggles from these beautiful children than anywhere else so far.

We feel so fortunate to be giving the bedkits to the children on behalf of the many donors who have made it possible.  Your gifts make such a positive difference in the lives of these children and their families.

Pat for Team Philippines

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Philippines: A Great Day of Bedkit Distributions!!

Morning Distribution - 300 bed kits,Calumpit, Bulacan

"Halo-Halo" stop at Nathaniel's, a popular eating place.   Halo-Halo is a parfait-like mixture of beans, jackfruit, makapuno, crunchy "pinipeg",  Philippine jello, "ube" ice cream and custard in a tall glass filled with shaved ice.

Afternoon distribution - 300 bed kit, Barangay Arena, 

Arayat, Pampanga.  In the photo, are two children waiting for their bed kits. 

Bed Kit Parent Interview with a young mother

Team Philippines 2015

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Philippines: South of Manilla

On day 2 we travelled south of Manilla to distribute 600 bed kits to some very happy families.

The organizing Kiwanis clubs take great pride in assisting with an appropriate backdrop for pictures.

Here are a few of the happy children ready to get their bed kits.The need is great here.

Team Philippines 2015

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Philippines: Day 4

Day 4 started bright and early leaving the hotel at 7:30. The drives are never boring, lots of traffic of all kinds of vehicles.

Our destination was Los Banos South of Manila about 1 1/2 hr, where we were greeted by very well behaved children at the Lalakay elementary school.

We started the day with a prayer followed by a hearty rendition of both National Anthem.

Ready to start the day the children were guided to the stage to get their picture taken, sometime it is difficult to get them to smile but when they do, it melts your heart.

With the help of the teachers, volunteers and the representatives of the Kiwanis club all 300 bed kits were delivered to very excited children.

We were then treated to a lovely lunch of local specialties prepared by the teaching staff, and of course the ever appreciated tasty fruits, juicy mango and pineapple.

These gatherings over lunch are precious opportunities for two cultures to get to know each other and to realize that we are not so different, we all want for our children to be healthy and happy.
After hugs and hand shakes we left this lovely community to journey back to Manila for a rest and get ready to do it all over again tomorrow, very happily.

J'aimerais dire un Merci spécial à nos familles et amis francophones du Canada pour leur appuis.
Je peu vous garantir que c'est très apprécier...

Jacynthe Tremblay for team Philippines

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Philippines: The Teams!

This is a photo of the Canadian and Philippine teams taken Antipolo.

Team Philippines 2015

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Philippines: Double Distribution Day

Hello from the beautiful, friendly Philippines. Today the SCAW team travelled first to Marilao where we distributed 300 bed kits. The school has 80 special needs children and 240 others. Class sizes were for one teacher 44 students and another 55. After we visited some of the homes nearby. They are built on very uneven ground with found materials but were neat and tidy.

Our afternoon distribution was in Plaridel. The children were all sitting in risers and were a rainbow of colours in their new t shirts.

My job today was to interview parents about their lives and the bed kits. They are all so appreciative for the support from so far away. Most do not have mosquito nets and live in fear of dengue fever. Several also were happy to receive the sleeping mat as they use cardboard boxes.

We should not complain about traffic in Canada. We are extremely lucky to have a wonderful driver to manipulate through the mayhem.

Team Philippines 2015
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Philippines: The Adventure Begins!

The adventure begins! After our long journey we awoke early on a glorious Easter Monday morning refreshed from a lazy Easter Sunday in Manila. We were keen to meet our Kiwanis partners and the children. The legendary Dr Ito welcomed us to his homes where thousands of bed kits were assembled and stored. He had put  most of his furniture in storage to accommodate the SCAW distribution. His hospitality was wonderful from the day we arrived. We had a tour of the Antipolo region highlighted by the beautiful historical church.  We then arrived at the  School where the delightful but impoverished children awaited . Their songs and laughter were heartwarming. We sang each others national anthems with great gusto.Three hundred children were  grateful to receive the bedkits. Some interviewed parents. It was a great day!

Team Philippines 2015
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Philippines: The Team Has Arrived!

Team arrived in Manila at 5:30am local time, bouncing through Shanghai after leaving Toronto. Despite the news reports the weather is very calm....no wind or rain! Oh yes...it is 29 degrees too!
Wi-fi is very iffy at the hotel, so prepare for dark periods.

Team Philippines 2015
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Mumbai: Post-Mumbai Reflections

I can’t believe my 5 days of distribution in Mumbai are finished and I’m home.  We all did many jobs while we were there and I enjoyed them all.  I did interviews on two days with 3 families each day.  So interesting to meet with the parents of children receiving bedkits to see how they live and learn how much they appreciated the many gifts their children were about to receive.  Sad to hear of the conditions they live in but also great to hear their expectations for their children.  When asked of their dreams for their children they wanted their child to grow to be strong, a good person helping in their village and a good person with their families.  All wanted their children to complete schooling to at least Grade 10 and hoped they could also go farther.

The day I got to do the handing out of the bedkits was fantastic.  When each child came to me I shook their hand and watch their face light up and a huge smile appeared as I handed them their bedkit.  All said thank you in English and many said Namasté, which is spoken with a slight bow and hands pressed together, palms touching and fingers pointing upwards, thumbs close to the chest.  I was puzzled by many who would touch my foot and then their forehead or heart.  I asked the person helping me and they said they are saying “God Bless You”.  I was blessed many, many times that day and I will remain blessed forever because of this tremendous trip.

Ken Thompson for Team Mumbai 2015
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Kenya: All Of Our Pictures

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Kenya: Our Last Distribution!

Our friendly neighbourhood rooster woke us up yet again for our seventh and final distribution day.  Today was a well organized site, at another primary school, with senior students and teachers assisting. Most of the 500 children were dressed and ready upon our arrival.  Their initial trepidation soon melted into giggles and beautiful smiles.  Their good behavior was a credit to the parents and teachers, thus making it a smooth and enjoyable day.  At the closing ceremonies the children performed for us with action songs.  We were privileged to be invited for tea and conversation with the staff and administration afterwards.

Then we were once again back in the van to return to a previous distribution site where some students had been unable to attend on the initial date.  These 38 students were thrilled to finally receive their bedkits.  Once again we were treated to a performance of songs of farewell.  This was a perfect way to finish off our mission of 4000 bedkits which leaves us with such a feeling of elation but at the same time we realize there is much left to be done here and many more needy children that remain.

Team Kenya 2015
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Mumbai: Distributions Completed!

There are 2,100 happy children in the greater Mumbai - Maharashtra area who have received their bedkits thanks to SCAW. Our Overseas Volunteer Partners have been working hard over the last six months to ensure that everything would be ready when the SCAW Travelling Team arrived last week. After five full days we handed out the bedkits and received thousands of smiles from the children in return. This year's distributions were special because we had 87 year old Billie Kemp as a team member. She is a dedicated SCAW veteran and she was accompanied by her son Kirk and grand-daughter Erin. Billie still got down on the ground and played with the children, letting them try on her SCAW hat or playing games with them. What an inspiration to all who were present at the distributions, but especially to her fellow team members. We also had three members from Sleep Country Canada (SCC). They ensured that 100+ children in each of the five pictures that documented SCC's donations looked great.

 

Bill Sergeant for Team Mumbai

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Mumbai: A First-Time Experience

Being my first time with SCAW as well as coming to India, I had no idea what to expect. On distribution day one it took us approximately 3 hours to arrive to our destination. The village was very rural. Goats, cows, chickens and pigs all shared the roads along with auto rickshaws, scooters, motorcycles and trucks.

The children had put up welcome signs and decorated the dirt path with colorful sand designs.

Once we unpacked and set up, the welcome ceremony began. Five young girls began to do a dance in their finest clothes. What impressed me most is how well behaved the rest of the children were while watching. All sitting still in single file.

Finally we got started. My days task was to draw a smiley face on the children's thumb once they had had their picture taken so that we wouldn't give them two bedkits. I loved that job because I saw how excited they were to finally receive their gift. The children were very small for their ages, clearly signs of malnutrition. A few also had sores that were infected or vision or hearing disadvantages. Those kids seemed the most happy.

All in all the day went well and we gave out around 200 bedkits to these children. I can't wait to do it all again 
tomorrow!

Adam Steeves for Team Mumbai 2015
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Kenya: Happy Smiles!

It was not such an early start this morning as we actually slept in until 6 a.m.!!! It still took us an hour and a half in city traffic to reach the site which today was one of extreme poverty.  The distribution was challenging as there were other functions happening along with noisy construction, and the ever present Kenyan dust blowing.

The centre offered education to 2300 students, from primary through high school.  We were impressed with quality of the buildings, that also included a nursery and family clinic.  The recipients of the bedkits were extremely excited and joyful.  Their beautiful faces were smiling from ear to ear.  Thank you once again to all our  generous donors for making this distribution of 1000 bedkits possible.  A dream come true for these children and our founder Murray.

Team Kenya 2015

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Kenya: Off The Beaten Track!

We were on the road by 5:30 this morning to start our 3 hour drive to the distribution site and avoid Nairobi traffic.   We had one pit stop en route, (which was a souvenir shop too!).  The last hour of the journey gave new meaning to “off the beaten track" as it is the end of the dry season.  It was dusty, extremely narrow and bumpy as we climbed up the mountain.  However, there was a warm greeting awaiting when we finally arrived, of children and parents anxious to see us.

As it was such an isolated spot, the children were again very needy, mostly without shoes, with threadbare uniforms and some of them were deaf.  However, we soon saw smiles lighting up their faces when some of the Team members starting blowing bubbles again whilst the rest of us were setting up.

We were entertained for a Kenyan lunch after the distribution, by a gentleman whose grandfather had built the school and everything had to be brought up the hill by donkeys. 

The children were so anxious to try their new mattresses that the headmaster kindly decided school was finished for the day and they could all go home!!!

Team Kenya 2015

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Mumbai: Dinner with Amin

For the SCAW Travelling volunteers who have had the pleasure of taking a tour with Amin Sheikh, a previous bedkit recipient, you will remember is warm smile and positive attitude. Four members of this year's Mumbai team had the wonderful opportunity to add to those memories when Amin invited Billie, Kirk and Erin Kemp along with Bill Sergeant back to his house to have supper with him, his sisters, his mother and another family friend. Amin's sister Sabina is a wonderful cook who made a dozen of her favourite dishes to serve us - it was all delicious. We also celebrated the fact that Amin's book was published in an 8th language, Hindi, that day. He is hoping that they next time that we come back to India, we will be able to have a coffee in his coffee shop. We hope so too and are looking forward to the opportunity.

Bill Sergeant for Team Mumbai 2015
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Mumbai: Only Two More Distributions!

 We have been a busy team since landing in Mumbai and are already over halfway through our distributions. When we arrived Adam Steeves asked what we would do when it rained on Saturday. Our Rotarian hosts told him that it rarely rains in February and not to worry. Well Adam was right! It started raining just as we were finishing yesterday's 611 bedkit distribution with the Bombay Airport Rotary Club and it rained through the night, stopping just as we arrived for the this morning's distribution at a government school. The local club put out large carpets to set the 400 bedkits on as well as having lots of them for the children to sit on while they waited for the photos. The smiles from the children melted our hearts today as we gave out the bedkits. Their happiness was measureable when one recipient joined his mother during the interviews that were being conducted by Billie and Kirk Kemp wit the assistance of Rtn Dr. Dave, who . The child had not been aware of what was in the bedkit that she had been carrying, and when she was shown by Billie and Kirk, her eyes just about popped out of her head and she could not stop smiling. What a wonderful experience for all of us.

Our Overseas Volunteer Partners (OVPs) have been wonderful. Not only have they helped get everything ready for the distributions and lend their time and talents to help run them, they have hosted us on a number of occasions too. Last evening was one of those memorable occasions as Raj and Manish Resham hosted us at the Jewel of India restaurant. The Rotary District Governor Ajay Gupta and the Assistant District Governor came to the restaurant to thank SCAW and us for all of the good work that we are doing 'for the children' of India. What a tremendous evening.

Bill Sergeant for Team Mumbai 2015
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