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Your donor dollars at workHarry Gauthier — Barrie, ON Having just completed another memorable trip for Sleeping Children Around the World [SCAW], I'm writing to you from Tegucigalpa, the capital city of Honduras. Poverty is evident everywhere and overwhelming at times, but what joy it was to be able to distribute bedkits for you to 5,000 needy children here. This was my third trip to Honduras and my first as team leader. I was privileged to represent Sleeping Children and you, the donors. I tried my best to accomplish all my responsibilities with ease and would not have been able to do so without the help of my team, our OVO [Overseas Volunteer Organization], the Rotary Club of Tegucigalpa, and the Programma Escuels Saludables (Healthy Schools Programme) sponsored by the First Lady of Honduras. Thank you so much for your contribution. I would like to tell you what happened to the $35 you donated. Once the SCAW board of directors approves a country and the number of bedkits for a distribution, the Overseas Volunteer Organization [OVO], in this case, the Rotary Club of Tegucigalpa, obtains quotes for bedkit items. Then the money is wired to them so they can purchase the items for the bedkits or have them manufactured locally. The travelling team is selected from an enormous list of volunteers, all of whom pay their own airfare, hotel room, and meals for the honour and experience of distributing bedkits to needy children. This ensures that 100% of the money you donate for a bedkit goes toward the bedkit and reaches a needy child.
When we arrive in Honduras, the team sets up a mock distribution at the hotel using bedkits provided by our OVO. Together we plan the nine days of distribution and the role each of us will play. Team members rotate through the various positions each day except for me — I take the pictures of the children with their bedkit and make sure everything runs smoothly. On some days we take pictures of more than three children at a time or group photos [See sidebar, Page 2]. At these times, one team member interviews some of the parents to get their impression of the bedkit and assess where it can be improved. Each day the Rotarians transport us to that day's distribution site. We take our time finding a suitable spot for taking pictures and ensure there are adequate facilities for the children to change into their bedkit outfits. Once everything is set up, we start the distribution process. After a dozen or so children have gone through, I stop and verify with each team member that all is going as planned. Satisfied that all is well, I return to taking pictures.
An interpreter is there to help me in this process, since it is sometimes difficult for me to get the children to sit or stand and get ready for the picture. While I take pictures I ask the children what part of the bedkit they like best. They like it all. Finally the children are set. I am ready, and a quick "Aqui" and "Sonrianne" and I snap the shot and send them away to get their bedkit. When they receive their bedkit, the children are overjoyed and they run to meet their parents waiting outside the gated school area. After nine days of distribution we are exhausted, but we realize the impact we have made on 5,000 children's lives, and it makes it all worthwhile. |
