Team Reports
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Joyous welcomesLois Wey — London, ON
As we dismounted the bus at the beginning of each distribution, the SCAW team was welcomed by students who presented each of us with a small stack of leaves and greeted us with the traditional ayubowan. At several sites we were presented with bouquets or garlands of fresh and artificial flowers. Wonderful school bands then played a variety of eastern instruments or danced and sang for us before leading us in a parade to the centre of the school property. Children lined the route in their traditional white school uniforms, waving or honoring us with the traditional wai handclasp, with crowds of parents and children standing behind. In each location, we were also led to a main centre where all the children who were to receive bedkits were already waiting in anticipation of our arrival, dressed in their new outfits of t-shirts, with a skirt for the girls and a sarong for the boys. It was amazing to see hundreds of children waving and laughing in delight. Each distribution began with a warm welcome from a school official or a Buddhist monk, who introduced us as the Canadian team representing Sleeping Children Around the World. The highlight of each ceremony was the lighting of the traditional Sri Lankan oil lamp, made of tiered brass, topped with a brass rooster, and decorated with garlands of fresh jasmine flowers. Each Canadian was invited to light a section of the lamp. A member of the Rotary Club and a couple of children were also selected for the honour. The children spontaneously clapped throughout this process, obviously moved by this cultural ritual. At one location the whole crowd sang the Sri Lanka national anthem. Wally, Lynette’s puppet, usually made an appearance, and the children responded with delight. It was clear from the beginning that this was going to be a fun event for everyone involved.
The most touching part of each welcoming ceremony was the speech given in English by a chosen student. Each was unique, but each described how useful the bedkits were going to be for the children and their families, and expressed genuine gratitude from the entire community for the generosity of Canadian donors. The most memorable speech was delivered by a young blind girl with her notes prepared in Braille. She nervously but bravely gave her whole speech by memory. It was extremely touching. One of my favourite tasks was handing out the bedkits. The children’s smiles were incredible as they finally received their gift. Each one stopped to shake my hand and many said a practiced “Thank you.” The smiles got even larger as each child was reunited with his or her waiting parent — just as excited as their child. In one location we had the opportunity to visit the rural homes of two children who had received a bedkit earlier in the day. It is always helpful for us to see the living conditions of the children we are assisting. One family told us that the father had died the previous year, causing them even more poverty. The home was hand-constructed of timbers, mud, and some bricks with a hand-woven roof. The mother pointed out the holes that would create hardship in the coming rainy season. The kitchen was extremely small and bare, with dirt floors, a few pots and a place for the fire. The rest of the house was also very basic, with a dirt floors and walls. It was clear that both families we visited were desperately poor and extremely thankful for the very useful items that were included in their child’s bedkit. It was an extremely humbling experience. |
