First Time VolunteerEileen Cockburn — Peterborough, ON
When the phone call came for the exciting opportunity to travel to Bangladesh, I didn't know much about the country. I soon got to know and love the people and their beautiful but different countryside. I began to wonder about who would be my team members, where I would stay and what would be expected of me. But not to worry, I was in the hands of an experienced, fun loving, knowledgeable team. On October 19th we were at the airport juggling luggage and carrying our precious labels listing the donors. Eighteen hours flying time later we arrived in Dhaka to be greeted by many Rotarians who would be our translators, guides, helpers, and yes, our friends. At our first distribution I was overwhelmed as we arrived to a sea of excited, anxious children.
We each had a specific job but we were set up in a small space so it was easy to see and help the rest of the team. My duty the first day was to stamp, with a maple leaf stamp the hands of the children, many of whom had been waiting for hours for their bedkit. This meant that I got to touch each and every one of the 847 children that day. These tiny hands told a lot. Some were shaking, scared, anxious, giggling, shy and yes a very few were crying. They had been separated from Mom. Each was dressed in new outfits and clutching old clothes. One little boy kept touching and feeling his new clothes and couldn't take his eyes off the contents of the bedkit in front of him.
The first day was finished. I was hot, tired and so looking forward to the rest of the distribution.There were many heart tugging moments but a few really stand out. I was moved to tears by a group of forty from a blind school all with white canes. All were blind and some were deaf and mute as well. To add to this all forty were orphans. You can imagine the confusion in their minds as we tried to line them up for their pictures. They had taken a long six-hour rickety bus ride over very rough roads from the extreme southeast, a tourist area called Cox’s Bazaar, and had been on the bus since 7 am with only a banana for a snack. It was now 1:15 pm. They were so anxious and excited and they knew that at the end they would have their precious bedkit and some lunch. As they started their long journey home I could picture a tired but happy child sleeping on a new mattress. I shall never forget those hugs and smiles or their beautiful eyes as we placed bedkits on their heads. But most of all I will remember the tiny hands that just wanted to be held by the people from Canada who had brought them a much needed gift. Thank you to the donors for the gifts and for giving me the opportunity to represent you in a country I now know a lot better. "Kindness in words creates confidence |
