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Old SchoolbagsCindy Harris — Ottawa, ON The day before our distribution in Yercaud, we stopped at a home in a village where a child had previously received a bedkit and then at the small local school a short distance away. The warm welcome we received was a sure testament to the effect of previous distributions. When we visited the home in the village, the mother showed us the items from a previously delivered bedkit. I wondered how many times the mat, which showed some signs of wear, had been rolled out, and for how many children. We were told that people in India use those mats for a lifetime. At the school, laid off to one side, I noticed that a number of the children’s schoolbags were from prior SCAW distributions. It was sweet and satisfying to see the signs of wear on them as well. I wondered how many children had used them and over how many years. I wonder, too, what the children and their families think about when they look at the somewhat worn items from the bedkits years after they were delivered? No doubt there is the remembrance of a kindness. A remembrance, too, of usefulness and of comfort brought, and hopefully a remembrance of joy.
The immediate benefit of the bedkits is unquestionable, and all the justification really needed. But I like to think that over the long term, it will be thought that other things were delivered as well – things not immediately apparent. Things that, taken together with certain government, business, and service club initiatives, bring other intangibles. Things like: good relationships, bridges built, a sense of equity, equality, and of fair play. I’d like to think that when looking at an old schoolbag, pillow, or blanket, thoughts of comfort at the time and of hope for the future are evoked. |
