SCAW BLOG: RWANDA, 2026: SEPTEMBER 5
Today was our last distribution in Rwanda. There was no long drive through the countryside today as the site was close by in Kigali. As always, there were many happy children giving lots and lots of hugs. You never tire of the hugs. It always amazes me how well-behaved and patient the children are, especially as they often have a long wait in the hot sun.
Today I am reminded that kids are kids no matter where they are in the world. I saw girls walking hand in hand and giggling as they shared a secret. Boys gathered under a tree perhaps talking football. A little one was drawing in the dirt with a stick not far from a watchful mama. A scared little one was being comforted by another child in line. An older boy was helping a little guy get ready for the photo. There was the usual jostling to be at the front of the line. I saw desk graffiti.
Some in the world have so much and some so very little but all children are the same and deserve a good night's sleep so they can wake to the challenges of a new day.
5000 bedkits delivered. Mission accomplished. Thank you to all who have helped and a special thank you to our donors.
Team Rwanda, 2026
Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 + SCAW 🇨🇦
SCAW BLOG: RWANDA, 2026: September 4
Today we had an early start. The alarm was set for 0515 hrs in order to breakfast at 0600 hrs. This allowed us to get on the road by 0700 hrs. We headed out to an industrial economic zone in the city of Kigali where we visited a major factory that employs 180 persons in the manufacture of mattresses. We were given a tour by the Chief Operating Officer of the company. This factory is the manufacturer of the mattresses that are being given out during this bedkit distribution.
The process was explained and we were able to follow the entire production line. The process is highly automated but there is still a significant role played by skilled workers to complete the mattresses.
The foam interiors are produced by the mixing of various components that are sourced from China and South Korea.
The colourful fabrics that cover the mattresses are also sourced from China.
The company has operations in three countries in Africa and has a wide range of products.
While we were at the factory we witnessed the mattresses destined for distribution today being loaded onto transport vehicles. These mattresses were delivered just prior to our scheduled start time.
When we arrived at the distribution site, the only entrance to the school complex was blocked by the delivery van!
The factory was a model enterprise and has manufactured mattresses for SCAW distributions for a number of years.
The mattresses are a key element in the bedkit and many children prior to receiving a bedkit sleep on the ground or on the floor. This mattress with the mosquito net which is also a key component of the bedkit are instrumental in helping children achieve a good night’s sleep.
Once the distribution got underway there were almost five hundred children who received a bedkit thanks to the generosity of the donors.
To end the day, we visited another manufacturing business. This time it was a much smaller operation that featured skilled workers who sewed together the back packs that form part of the bedkit.
A donation made to SCAW, goes 100 % to paying for bedkits for the children but also provides employment for local individuals in the country of distribution. The gift of the donation of a bedkit has a ripple effect within the community. Every donation makes a difference and a significant contribution to the well-being of the children of Rwanda.
Thank you for your compassion and generosity.
Team Rwanda, 2026
Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 + SCAW 🇨🇦
scaw BLOG: RWANDA, 2026: SEPTEMBER 3
Our group of six set out this morning for the 8th day of our distributions and our second day in the Ngoma district.
We drove through such a beautiful part of Rwanda. At one point there was a lake on either side of us. We passed rice fields and saw men in small dugout kayak-like boats navigating through the water. Then we were driving through an area of banana trees, and saw countless bicycles carrying what looked like 200-300 lbs. of bananas on the back!
When we arrived a large happy group was waiting for us, with the children already lined up and ready to receive their bedkits. We took a few minutes to scout out the area and were so pleased with the thoughtful setup the Rotarians had planned .The flow was smooth and the children had minimal exposure to the sun while they waited.
A local dignitary welcomed the crowd, followed by an introduction from the Rotary Club. The bedkit was held high for an enthusiastic crowd to see. The shorts and T-shirt received the biggest applause!
We got things started and the day went smoothly.There are always a few small glitches, but even those became opportunities to spend more time with the children - so really, it was a win-win.
Our final bedkit was handed out after an interview with a very appreciative mother who spoke to us proudly in her best English. Her gratitude touched all of us.
As we loaded back into our van our hearts were filled with happiness. We are so thankful to have the opportunity to deliver SCAW bedkits to the beautiful, deserving children of Rwanda.❤️🇷🇼
Team Rwanda, 2026
Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 + SCAW 🇨🇦
SCAW BLOG: RWANDA, 2026: SEPTEMBER 2
You may get asked why you do what you. In the case of Sleeping Children Around the World (SCAW), it is a very good question. Most members of society fully realize that the need to help those that have little to nothing around the globe is immense as the need for food, shelter, education, infrastructure, etc. remains, unfortunately, very high for many and those numbers are growing.
There are different charities and non-governmental organizations that try and address the various shortcomings that exist around the world and SCAW is one of them. When we go on distributions and meet the people that benefit from receiving a bedkit, visit their homes and meet the families, we see their very positive reactions to receiving such an amazing gift.
Prior to the actual start of a distribution on site, we speak to the assembled families who are waiting to receive their bedkit and show them each item that the bedkit contains. This is our seventh day and it is very interesting to see which items receive the biggest reaction from the families. In some districts it is the mosquito net and mattress, in others it is the school supplies and yet in others it is the clothing. The reaction reflects the local need. In all sites, the whole bedkit is fully appreciated.
At a site where only some families get a bedkit and others do not who have just as big a need, you wonder, what difference does this make? It’s kind of like this little story that I heard once which explains it well.
There was a person observed running on the beach who, now and then, would stoop down, pick up something and throw it in the water. As he came closer, the observer noted that the man was picking up a starfish and throwing it back in the water. As he came near, the observer asked why he was picking up a starfish and throwing it in the water when there were so many lying on the beach all around them. He asked, “What difference does it make?” The man picked up another starfish and threw it in the water and said, “It makes a difference to this one!” and kept on running. Much like the starfish thrower, that is what we at SCAW do.
We can’t help everyone, as much as we would like to. However, we do provide opportunities around the world for children and their families to experience the many benefits from a good night’s sleep. On our distribution in Rwanda, we have distributed 3,500 bedkits to date. As an organization and since its inception, SCAW is approaching the 2,000,000th bedkit given to a child over the last 56 years. It has made a difference to these children and their families over the years.
For the Children,
Team Rwanda, 2026
Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 + SCAW 🇨🇦
SCAW BLOG: RWANDA, 2026: SEPTEMBER 1
The traffic in Rwanda is really just a dance with cars, bikes and people twirling in different directions. Most horns are friendly warnings, “ I am close by. Make room”. The pace of the dance is fast and the moves smooth, only leaving a very small space in between. It is totally amazing how the dance goes on day and night with it’s never-ending rhythm.
It tugged at our hearts during a family interview when a beautiful mother nursing a small baby with two older children explained they only have one meal a day. Some evenings the kids are up late because the mother is searching for food. Yet, she was so thankful for their new bedkit. Hopefully the children can have a better sleep now with their new mattress and mosquito net and have a better start in the new school year with their new supplies.
Participating in a distribution is a wonderful opportunity to meet some local people and to see parts of the country that are difficult to reach. We have met lots of different Rotarians and Rotaracts (which are the young adults before they become Rotarians) with very good English language skills that help us have a deeper understanding of the people, their customs and the country in general. It is wonderful how hard our OVPs, the Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga, work. They start months before the distribution purchasing the bedkit items, organizing the sites and many other duties that are involved such as dealing with government and children selection. The distribution of 5000 bedkits would be impossible without their many hours of hard work.
Tomorrow is Day 7 of our distributions so we are more than halfway. We have delivered 3000 bedkits with 2,000 bedkits to go. The above are a few of my thoughts and impressions of this wonderful opportunity to help in a small way to improve the lives of these beautiful people who have so little and deserve so much more. Thanks donors, you are big partners in making the delivery of 5,000 bedkits possible.
Team Rwanda, 2026
Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 + SCAW 🇨🇦
SCAW BLOG: RWANDA, 2026: SEPTEMBER 1
The traffic in Rwanda is really just a dance with cars, bikes and people twirling in different directions. Most horns are friendly warnings “ I am close by, make room”. The pace of the dance is fast and the moves smooth, only leaving a very small space in between. It is totally amazing how the dance goes on day and night with it’s never ending rhythm.
It tugs at your heart during a family interview when a beautiful mother nursing a small baby with two older children only have one meal a day. Some evenings the kids are up late because the mother is searching for food. Yet, she was so thankful for their new bedkit. Hopefully the children can have a better sleep now with their new mattress and mosquito net and have a better start in the new school year with their new supplies.
Participating in a Distribution is a wonderful opportunity to meet some local people and to see parts of the country that are difficult to reach. We have met lots of different Rotarians and Rotaracts (which are the young adults before they become Rotarians) with very good English language skills that help you have a deeper understanding of the people, their customs and the country in general. It is wonderful how hard the Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga work, our Oversea Volunteer Partners. They start months before the Distribution purchasing the bedkit items, organizing the sites and many other duties that are involved such as dealing with government and children selection. The distribution of 5000 Bedkits would be impossible without their many hours of hard work.
Tomorrow is our Day 7 of our Distributions so we are more than halfway. We have delivered 3000 Bedkits with 2,000 Bedkits to go. These are a few of my thoughts and impressions of this wonderful opportunity to help in a small way to improve the lives of these beautiful people who have so little and deserve so much more. Thanks donors, you are big partners in making the delivery of 5,000 Bedkits possible.
SCAW BLOG: RWANDA, 2026: AUGUST 30
The last Sunday of the month is Exercise Day, so once again the streets of Kigali were a little quieter, as residents are encouraged to devote the day to physical fitness. The citizens of Rwanda must be the fittest people on the planet, for they are constantly walking and biking up and down the hills - and they often do so with heavy loads on their heads and backs! No wonder it is called the country of 1000 hills (le pays de milles collines)! On this early morning we even observed an enthusiastic fellow navigating these hills (more like mountains) on rollerblades!
Sunday morning we were headed to Munyaga, with a slight detour to Nzige. This landscape was very different from the mega hills we had travelled earlier in the week. We were in the valleys with farm fields and rice paddies on either side of the road. Once off the main road, we once again experienced a Rwandan massage (an extremely bumpy road). Along the road community residents were chopping rock to lay on the side of the deep ditches which will catch the rains during rainy season.
When we finally reached our destination, the children and parents were still calmly waiting for us. They cheered loudly when they heard about our ‘detour’ (we went to the wrong location).
As the items of the bedkit were shown to the crowd, everyone erupted in cheers. The children especially liked the shirt and shorts!
The picture-taking and bedkit distribution went smoothly and relatively quickly. The little ones were a bit overwhelmed by the process but the laughs of our rotary volunteer alleviated their hesitancy and resulted in big smiles!
As the distribution continued, more families from neighbouring communities arrived, but unfortunately they were not registered. All 500 bedkits were distributed to registered children.
Hopefully we can return to the community in another year so that other children may benefit from a good night’s sleep!
Today was a beautiful day in a beautiful country, with beautiful children!
Thank you donors for helping to make a difference in the life of a child!
For the children,
Team Rwanda, 2026
Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 + SCAW 🇨🇦
SCAW BLOG: RWANDA, 2026: August 28
2,000 bedkits as of Day 4
After a hearty breakfast, our team travelled 2.5 hours north to our distribution site in Burera Province. It was not our usual arrival with many children and parents waiting as today is Umuganda, the monthly cleaning day which takes place on the last Saturday of the month from 8 to 11 am. Rwanda is a very clean place. Roadsides and sidewalks are swept each morning even in the countryside but this is a more serious cleanup.
With the help of the kind, hard-working and dedicated Rotarians, Rotoracts and community volunteers the site was set up. People started to arrive, the children registered and we were underway.
After registration, the children line up and await photo time. Each donator is sent a photograph of their sponsored child. Some children are excited but some are a little scared. It is our job to make them feel as comfortable as possible. Sometimes we have a sing along and best of all, sometimes they sing to us. That is when you see them light up. No shyness when they sing. It is a beautiful thing.
Then comes the photo taken by our team leader. He almost always is able to make them smile or giggle. Finally it is bedkit time and off they go to collect their things. The bedkits include shoes, blanket, sheet, backpack, t-shirt and shorts, mosquito net, notebooks, pens, basin and a beautiful, colourful mattress.
What we do may seem such a small thing to us but imagine sleeping on a bare floor and being bitten by mosquitos all night long. Then suddenly you have a comfy mattress and a net for protection. The hope is that their world might be a bit brighter and their sleep a bit better. There is a look of love on the faces of the parents and often grandparents. One Grandma in particular will be in my thoughts for life. She arrived with her grandbaby on her back. The child was seven years old and severely disabled. Her daughter died in childbirth and Grandma is the sole caregiver. Her face is weathered and worn, her back is painful. I hope they are both able to sleep a bit easier tonight.
When the last bedkit is given, the crowd disperses and we pack up and head out on the long drive home. We saw families carrying bedkits home many kilometers from the distribution site. People are working in the fields.
Children are collecting firewood and filling jugs with water. Every day they work just to survive. Walking, always walking.
Team Rwanda, 2026
Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 + SCAW 🇨🇦
SCAW BLOG: RWANDA, 2026: August 27-28
We have covered many kilometres driving through the Rwandan countryside on our way to where each distribution of bedkits takes place. What stands out is the civility of the drivers of vehicles and motorcycles who need to share the winding roads that dot the countryside. The region is known for the hills and valleys that make up the area around the capital Kigali.
The capital as well as the surrounding countryside are conspicuously clean. There is virtually no litter to be seen! Today as it is the last Saturday of the month was national clean-up day and participation is mandatory. There is a collective sense of pride and participation that reflects in the communities.
The area we visited yesterday and today was very close to the Ugandan border in the north of the country. We set up a distribution in a school that was in the shadow of one of the five volcanoes that mark the landscape of that part of Rwanda.
At the start of every distribution the SCAW travelling team are presented to the assembled bed-kit recipients and their parents. The members of the SCAW team hold up the various items which make up the bedkit. With each item there is a round of applause.
On two days the loudest applause was offered up to acknowledge the mosquito net. Another favourite item was the combination of books and pens. All items are warmly received but the addition of the mosquito net is life-changing. In a number of interviews we have heard repeatedly that mosquitos are a serious problem, that can cause serious health issues such as malaria. The problem is especially severe around the rainy season and in the countryside where there are pools of standing water.
The children who are the intended recipients of the bedkits require a good night’s sleep in order to maximize their ability to concentrate during the day at school. Many children underperform in school and the cause is directly related to their not getting the rest that is necessary for children. This situation can be alleviated by providing a mosquito net.
Parents of children who receive the mosquito nets are thrilled to be able to report that this change has been instrumental in the improved learning results of their children.
Each donation is significant and each recipient receives a hand up, not a hand out in life’s journey.
Thank you to each and every donor.
Team Rwanda, 2026
Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 + SCAW 🇨🇦
SCAW BLOG: RWANDA, 2026: August 26
Our day began early as we were up by 5:30 am, had breakfast at 6:30 am and departed Kigali for a trip to the northern part of Rwanda, the Rulindo District, at 7:30 am for the 2 ½ hour drive to get to our distribution site. Moms, dads and guardians were eagerly waiting with their children when we arrived.
After some short words by the local government official and the SCAW champion of our overseas partner (OVP), the Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga (RCKV), we were given the opportunity to thank our OVP for all the hard work they do in support of this distribution. More importantly, we also showed the happy crowd what was in the bedkit, and it was very gratifying to hear the joy as each item was shown! These bedkits mean a lot to these families and they very much appreciate receiving one! They make a real difference.
On completion of the distribution, we travelled back to Kigali and were invited to our OVP weekly Fellowship meeting. The theme of the evening touched on various projects that the RCKV has undertaken and how to raise funds for various projects for the maximum benefit of the recipients. The SCAW Rwanda team was asked to explain how SCAW raises money to support the bedkit programme. This was explained in some detail to the delight of the Rotary Club members and they were inspired when they heard that SCAW is a 100% charity, getting support of like-minded folks who are happy to donate and volunteer their skills, resources and time to carry out the SCAW mission.
We returned back to our accommodation around 9:30 pm, tired after this 16-hour day and we will definitely sleep well, knowing that those children receiving bedkits today will also have a better sleep.
Team Rwanda, 2026
Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 + SCAW 🇨🇦
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 🇨🇦