 Team Reports |
5,000 SmilesPat Tuddenham — Cambridge, ON During the past two weeks we have seen over 5,000 children. They were given a new outfit to put on and they looked bright and clean. The girls usually wore their long black hair done up in braids with bows and flowers and looked very pretty. They all came expectant, excited, and fearful of the unknown.
When they are of school age there is often no school within a reasonable distance. Fortunately, clubs such as the Rotary have built schools in outlying regions. In addition, government and private charities are trying to encourage attendance by including lunch in the school program. Housing is very spartan. Several children and their parents often live in a small two-room house: one room used as a kitchen with a wood fire for cooking and the second as a living and sleeping area for all. When we visited the homes of children who had received a bedkit, the children were smiling and playing happily, eager to have our attention. At the distribution, initial fear and uncertainty often made those same smiles more slow to appear. The children would wait quietly and patiently for their turn. Somehow it was difficult to smile for the camera. When they were handed the bucket and bedkits, however, their enthusiasm began to show. Most were quick to say, “Thank you,” and all were happy to greet us and attempt to talk to us at that point. From teachers, doctors, and parents we learned that the reception given the bedkits was one of great pleasure and excitement. For a child who has very little and for whom life is a struggle this was indeed a true gift. One mother reported that the day that her son got the bedkit her children had played on it, rolling and jumping as they have never been able to before. Another mother said that her child now had a reason to try harder at school as he had something to look forward to and work for. Another said it was indeed the first time that her child had had a really good night’s sleep. If we ever doubted the value of a bedkit all doubts were quickly dispelled by the smiles of pleasure and joy we saw. We have indeed been able to give to a very needy group of children not only a place to sleep but also some possessions beyond anything they had ever hoped to have — and perhaps a new lease on life. |
Life has not been easy for these children. At birth many weighed just four pounds or less. Malnutrition is a constant as they often survive on only one meal a day. As a result, many of the children are not well-developed and are the size of a child several years younger in Canada.