Million-Dollar SmilesArrius Racioppo — Scarborough ON
The bustling of children was evident among the crowd as they either stood or sat patiently watching as we arrived at the distribution sites. Between 600 to 800 children daily were waiting to receive their new bedkit. Many of them had travelled as far as 200 km to get to the site. Some had even arrived early in the morning. We were greeted by crowds of men waiting curiously at the door of our car. Before we even stepped out we were already shaking hands and smiling, but as we looked past them we could see the hundreds of children whose excitement could not be held in any longer. The children shifted and twisted to get a better look as they observed us as we set up the photo station and unravelled the contents of the bedkit. We guided the children to the pails propped up for sitting behind the bedkit contents. Some of the kids were frightened and showed it by a serious, concentrated face. Others gladly gave us big smiles showing their shiny white teeth. A few times some of the boys would throw up their hands with excitement and shout “OK!” which was Dave’s substitute for “Cheese.” Handing out the bedkit personally to a child is when I saw the true happiness that is inside each and every one of the children. They were grateful and some showed it by touching their forehead, their heart, or bending down and touching our feet. Some would say “Thank you” in Bengali and some in English. They had million-dollar smiles as the bedkit was laid gently onto their heads to carry.
The day after our last distribution, we were taken to a village just outside of Dhaka called Shambhupura. It was a small village and we were the first foreigners ever to visit there. About fifty children in the village had received a bedkit. It was a great experience to see the homes of these children. Their families were so grateful. One little girl was crying as we came to her door. She was so overwhelmed but so happy that we were going to visit her house, because she had been given a bedkit, and it had helped her and her family. This distribution in Bangladesh is my first time with Sleeping Children, my first experience doing humanitarian work, and my first time so far from home. I have thoroughly enjoyed this trip for SCAW and I will never forget it. I hope to go on many more in the future. |
