 Team Reports |
A Distribution of FirstsDuncan Macgregor - Etobicoke, ON The Kenya distribution for Sleeping Children Around the World [SCAW] was our third but included several firsts. We distributed 3,000 bedkits there in the past two years. Each time we were impressed by the wonderful organization of our overseas partners, the Rotary Club of Nairobi. This year their request for more bedkits was approved. So for the first time, an extra 1,000 children received bedkits on behalf of SCAW donors in Kenya. In Africa, one child dies from malaria every thirty seconds. Malaria is the biggest killer disease of children under five years of age in this challenging part of the world. SCAW has been researching the inclusion of a new type of netting, called a Long Lasting Insecticide Net (LLIN) in our bedkits. These were added to the Kenya bedkit for the first time this year. This netting is much more effective than untreated nets due to the binding of the insecticide to the netting. The World Health Organization has vigorously tested the insecticide and found it has no ill effects on humans. The only negative to the LLIN nets is the cost: about four times the cost of an untreated net. This meant we had to cut back on some other less-needed items in the Kenya bedkit, but it was well worth the extra cost to save children's lives. This was the first year we placed some bedkits in rural areas outside of Nairobi. Actually, the additional 1,000 bedkits went to children in Machacos and Makindu, two very poor rural areas. Even though the team had to travel for hours over pot-holed roads to get there, it was well worth the effort. The folks in these rural centres may actually be poorer than those in the slum areas of Nairobi. Our team toured the Makindu area the night prior to the distribution. It was very clear that we were in an area where the SCAW bedkits would make a great difference. Bedkit evaluation has become an important part of a SCAW distribution and was another first-time initiative this trip. We interviewed twenty-two parents and guardians to find out which items in the bedkit were most valued. The LLIN nets and blankets were most highly valued. We don't often think of blankets being used in Kenya; however, temperatures at night sometimes drop such that hypothermia can set in quickly in children who are unprotected from the cold. Lastly, Sarah and Sue were "first-timers" on this team of committed SCAW travelling volunteers. Along with Don, Veri, and Brenda, the team was a well-oiled machine by the time the 4,000th bedkit was given out on behalf of SCAW donors. Now two more volunteers have been added to the cadre of SCAW speakers who will share their experiences and spread the SCAW story to their many friends and associates. As you can see, this distribution included some firsts. However, it also included the key elements of any successful distribution: an Overseas Volunteer Organization, the Rotary Club of Nairobi and their Rotaractors, who efficiently and effectively looked after the many details in Kenya, the team of SCAW volunteers at home who look after all the details in behind the scenes, a dedicated team of traveling volunteers, and a set of generous donors who make the whole challenge a reality. So, on behalf of our team, thank you, for providing us with the opportunity to give "a gift of love" to 4,000 very needy Kenyan children, who for the first time might have a chance for a good night's rest so that they, too, might have a better chance to meet the challenges they face on a daily basis. |
