What the Parents ThinkSusan Sheen — Bowmanville, ON Each day as we set up for the photo session the scene was the same: faces of parents and grandparents pressed against the grill work of the entrance gate to the compound or building where the distribution was about to take place. Anxious faces, bewildered faces, happy faces — all aware that something very special was about to happen, but often not sure exactly what. At two of the sites, Feni and Barisal, we were able to interview the mothers of three of the children receiving bedkits. Through an interpreter we discussed their lives and the impact the bedkit would have on their children.
The rainy season adds stress to family life as there are fewer jobs available for daily labourers. The shawl and sweater and pyjamas in the bedkit are appreciated for the cold season that lasts about three months; perhaps not cold in the Canadian sense, but still cool enough to make mothers worry about pneumonia and infections when their children are not dressed warmly enough. For families where the children sleep on the ground, the mothers thought a ground sheet under the mattress might be a practical addition and perhaps a larger mattress with a longer pillow so siblings could share a mattress.
When asked what the child would benefit from most, the mothers' answers were varied: mosquito net, backpack, blanket, and the clothes. One little girl already had her school papers stashed in her new backpack! The thing that would have the biggest impact on the child's health was always felt to be the mosquito net. These interviews are done so that the bedkits always contain what the children really need. But overall, the mothers were just so appreciative of the bedkit gift, for many of the children the biggest gift they will receive in their entire lives, and one which will change and improve their lives beyond measure. |
