Shanta in BellaboJudy Snobelen — Ripley, ON
This was my first visit to Bangladesh, a country that is basically a flood-plain with very fertile soils. On our third distribution we drove 2 ½ hours east of Dhaka to a small rural area, Bellabo. We were on four land highways with trucks, buses, trains, motorcycles, cars, and taxis and we were on bumpy roads with many taxis, rickshaws, and more rickshaws going in every direction. At the distribution site, we were greeted by a sea of people: waves and waves of cheering children. As we drove in we reached out the windows to touch them. They were lined up wearing school uniforms of red, green, or white and excitement was in the air.
I was in the change room and watched as these little girls were given their new dresses. It was a first Christmas for them. I helped a little girl get dressed. She was so excited and her dark eyes were sparkling as she smiled shyly at me. Her name is Shanta and she is 6 years old. She has travelled for thirty minutes in a small truck to get here. She lives with her parents and one bother and her father has a small shop nearby. As the children line up they are a rainbow, orange, red, blue, yellow and green. Some have jewelry and some have lipstick. They want to look their best – similar to our kids in Canada. These children are very patient and very well-behaved. We set them up and Shanta is very precise about arranging her dress and holding her hands.
I can't imagine her thoughts as she sees the new clothes, bedding and school supplies. She was anxious to move on to receive her bedkit. And as Sue placed it on her head her face was beaming. She finally had her special gift. Her father was waiting for her and he folds his hands and says "thank you" to me – a very humbling moment. We continue our work and this story is repeated many times. We are thanksful for the opportunity to distribute these bedkits and we are very thankful to the donors who have helped make a difference in the lives of these children. It has been a privilege and an honour to work with this team on behalf of SCAW. |
