SCAW BLOG: RWANDA, 2026: august 23-25

After much coordination, months of planning, double checking, and living-in-the-moment type changes that are all part of the distribution cycle, our six-person Canadian SCAW Team Rwanda, 2026 all met at Lester Pearson International Airport at 3:30 pm on Sunday, 23 August.  By 7:20 pm we were airborne on our first leg from Toronto to Brussels for our 7 ½ hour flight and we landed in Brussels at 7:05 am local time. About three hours later, we departed Brussels for Kigali and arrived 7:07 pm local time on Monday, 24 August, after being airborne for another 8 ½ hours.

We were met by our overseas volunteer partner (OVP) committee chair, Rotarian James Butare, who has been the chair of this very important Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga project for the past three years and continues to do an amazing job. The OVP does the vast majority of the work when it comes to distributing bedkits and this work is done by Rotarians who have full-time jobs.  We will explain the detail of the OVP support to SCAW in another blog.  It’s important to acknowledge that we could not do distributions without an OVP as they are key to the success of the SCAW bedkit distributions.

On Tuesday, 25 August, after finally getting to bed the night before, we needed to do some logistical activities such as picking up local currency (Rwandan franc - Rwf), activate a local number on cell phones, buy bottled water and chaired a pre-distribution meeting with our OVP. We found accommodation that was affordable with a very functional kitchen and had a hearty breakfast before starting out.

Tomorrow morning, 26 August, the team will be spending 2 ½ hours in the van driven by the same outstanding driver that we had last year. Luckily he will be driving us for the next two weeks.

What makes participating in a SCAW bedkit distribution such a fulfilling activity are the like-minded people that you meet, who are willing to do what it takes to get a bedkit in the hands of a child who really needs it. This, in turn, helps that child and family face various challenges a little more easily due to a good night’s sleep.

For the Children.

Team Rwanda, 2026

Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 + SCAW 🇨🇦