 Team Reports |
Understanding the NeedsTed Swanston — Toronto, ON
Sleeping Children recently added a new element to overseas distributions: surveys with parents of bedkit recipients so we can better understand the needs of the children and, in conjunction with our overseas volunteer organization [OVO], make the bedkit ever more useful to the children whose families are amongst the poorest in the country. I was looking forward to the experience as our OVO had arranged for two mothers and a grandmother to be interviewed. A bedkit was set up on a table to make it easy to inspect all the items. I requested a female interpreter to try and minimize any intimidation from my questions. SCAW has developed a questionnaire to assist in the process, and so we began. Through the interpreter I thanked the ladies for participating in the interview, and invited them to inspect the bedkit items. One mother became so overwhelmed with what her child was to receive that she broke down and wept. She was unable to answer the first few questions on the survey; she tried several times to respond, but each time her emotions re-surfaced.
The ladies explained that their families slept on the floor, and had no sleeping mat, sheet, blanket or pillow. All these items were in the bedkit, along with two sets of clothing and school supplies. They loved every item in the bedkit. We had questions about the hard-soled shoes in the bedkit, but one mother said the shoes are important since the children have no shoes now, and they will provide protection from the burning heat of asphalt roads and from sharp stones. We asked which two items the mothers felt would be of most benefit and which two would be least useful. The looks on their faces showed they were disoriented by the question – nothing was “least useful” in the bedkit- they said every item was important. Our interview lasted about forty-five minutes, and we thanked the ladies for their participation. I was not prepared for what happened next. In spite of my efforts to dissuade them, each woman prostrated herself at my feet, a gesture of deep respect and thanks for what their children were receiving. It was an emotional and humbling moment. Our SCAW team are but messengers who experience the joy of giving the bedkits to the children. What a blessing it is to be able to do this. Thank you donors for making it all possible. Tiffin wallahs[A tiffin is the metal container used to store food and keep it warm.] Four million people come into Mumbai daily from the suburbs to work. Other cities in India shut down during the intense afternoon heat. Offices and stores close, and workers go home for food and rest. Mumbai does not do this and offices are open from 10 till 7. To provide a home-cooked lunch, a system developed years ago whereby one tiffin wallah picks up several office workers’ meals at their homes mid-morning, and takes them on a wheeled cart to the train station. A second wallah takes the lunches by train into the city, and passes the lunches to a third wallah who delivers them, again by wheeled cart, to the office workers. Tiffin wallahs are illiterate, so they developed a system using discrete markings and colors to differentiate each lunch, and ensure it is delivered to the correct client. Thousands of tiffin wallahs work in Mumbai; the system operates virtually error-free, and has been studied in business schools. The cost for the service – about 100 rupees ($2.50) per month.
India’s economy in perspectiveWe hear media reports of strong economic growth and investment in India. Our team saw evidence of this on our distribution in the major cities of Mumbai and Pune A newspaper reported average per capita income rose 14% in 2007. One may want to take a step back however and put this in perspective. People can’t take percentages to the bank. Even after growing 14%, per capita income is about $700 per person per year (SCAW’s policy is to work with countries with average income of $2,000 or less). Poverty remains a huge challenge here, both in the cities and the rural areas. Hopefully bedkits will continue to help the poor children of India, one by one. |
