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Light and FireTed Swanston — Toronto, ON
This was the second distribution done by Sleeping Children Around The World [SCAW] in Nicaragua with our partner the Rotary Club of Nicaragua. Last year Rotary focused on poor districts in and around the capital city Managua. This year Rotary decided to give bedkits to children in outlying rural areas. SCAW applauds Rotary's decision to reach out to rural areas this year. Rural community leaders told us there are few social services available in outlying areas far from the larger cities. It was clear to the SCAW team that the recipients' families were very poor. Parents mentioned in interviews that their children attended school but did not have the clothing or school supplies that many students had. The children receiving bedkits would surely welcome the comfort of their mattress, sheets and pillow, the protection from malaria and dengue fever provided by the mosquito net, and the boost to self-esteem of "fitting in" with their peers, thanks to their new clothing and school bag. SCAW appreciates the opportunity to travel to rural areas, as it allows the team to come closer to the children and shorten their travel to the distribution site. In spite of this, we were told that many children walked or rode long distances with their parents to receive their bedkit.
It's difficult to fully describe a Sleeping Children trip to someone who has not been on a distribution. How does one do justice to the emotions, sweat, confusion, exhaustion, looks of appreciation, smiles, and the joy of the children receiving bedkits? How does one describe the comment of a mother who, after walking two hours with her husband and daughter to receive a bedkit, is about to walk two hours home carrying a twenty-five pound mattress and other bedkit items, a journey she calls a "walk of joy"? How does one describe the feeling you get when you see a picture painted by students in a poor, rural Nicaragua school that shows an outline of Canada in red, and Nicaragua in blue, an arm and hand reaching out from each country, the two hands meeting together in a warm handshake? Below the image are the words: Una luz enciende otra luz, (A light turns another light on,
A local volunteer, with tears in his eyes, explained what the words meant to him: each donor with the light of their donation has helped turn on a light in the life of a Nicaraguan child and the warmth in the donor’s heart has given hope to these children and showed them that someone cares. It is a privilege to fulfil the promises made to our donors and verify that each child receives a bedkit. Thank you for making it possible. |
