 Team Reports |
What's in a Bedkit?Susan Sheen — Bowmanville, ON Dressed in their new outfits, the children waited patiently in line for their photo to be taken. But as they waited, we would always see a few looking excitedly through the contents of their new schoolbags containing school supplies, toothbrush and toothpaste, water bottle and tiffin (snack box).
For $30 the Rotary Club of Kolkata had been able to buy all the items listed to the right. The mattress was made extra wide so that two children would be able to sleep on it. The mosquito net is a significant help in the prevention of malaria. The school supplies are an encouragement to return to school or to continue studies. We saw many children with bare feet, so sandals help prevent foot infections and injuries.
When asked what item was the least important, he replied, "Nothing." His mother commented on the importance of the woolen blanket – since children often don’t have enough to keep them warm at night. The bedkit was so heavy that all but the oldest children had to have help carrying it. For the littlest children, the bedkit was bigger than they were. We can only imagine the excitement they experienced on their arrival home when they unpacked their very own bedkit supplied by a generous donor from a faraway place like Canada, the US, Australia, or the UK. First hand, we could testify that Murray Dryden had it right: no value can be put on the benefit of a good night’s sleep. |
Then as their turn came to be photo graphed, three pairs of eyes would be fixed on the bedkit in front of them. Disbelief that all this was for them. Sometimes it was difficult to get the children to look at the camera because their attention was drawn to the amazing array of items contained in the bedkit.
Contents of the bedkits are assessed regularly to make sure that all the items are really what the children need most. When we questioned one little boy as to what was the most important item in the bedkit, he immediately said, "The mattress."