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 🇨🇦
SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2025: August 23
Today was our last day of distributing another 500 bedkits at GS Cyivugiza, one of the suburbs of Kigali. Our Overseas Volunteer Partner, the Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga (RCKV) site manager was already on site when we arrived, making sure that all was set for another successful day of helping children get the benefit of a better sleep experience.
The families were already waiting in anticipation in a combination of shade and hot sun. We figured out quickly how to most efficiently have the children registered, pictures taken, given a bedkit and have them re-united with their waiting families, with smiles all the way around.
While waiting for the distribution to start, there were local ‘cheerleaders’ leading all assembled into song and dance expressing their love for a united Rwanda. Here is a small video of what we saw:
Prior to starting each distribution this year, we had either the mayor or a representative to provide opening remarks to the waiting families followed by the Rotary Club representative who explained what is going to happen next. Our SCAW team was given the opportunity to thank the Rotary Club for making all this possible as well as showing what was in the bedkit this year . . . to the delight of everyone there!
Then the process officially started. When all runs smoothly, we have been able to hand out 500 bedkits in under two hours to ensure that the families, some who have come from afar on foot, can get home before dark.
These last 10 distribution days have been an amazing experience for our whole team, consisting of members from the RCKV in all its forms - from adults (Rotarians), University students (Rotaracts) to teenagers in high school (Interacts) - to the local volunteers, the security guards, the site host (school or government site) and our own SCAW team of five. No matter the challenges that we faced, we were able to resolve them as a team to ensure a successful distribution for the day.
Being a SCAW team member with the opportunity to make a difference with others of like mind in a country like Rwanda is just an amazing experience! The long days, interesting sights over various roads that include the “African Massage” experience once you leave the paved roads are just part of it. The most pleasant and rewarding part of these distributions is seeing the children and their families’ reactions when they are given their bedkit to take home.
They are the reason we do this. We know that getting a good night's sleep is vital for their health, their ability to learn better, and to handle their circumstances a little easier.
We successfully distributed 5,000 bedkits over these 10 days in various regions of Rwanda. We are grateful to the Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga and all other volunteers who made it possible.
We leave tonight knowing that we have made a difference to those children and their families and have helped them thrive a little better by providing them with a good night’s sleep!
For the children.
Team Rwanda, 2025
Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 an
SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2025: August 22
We love to watch the bustling life all around as we drive up and down the never-ending rolling hills of Rwanda.
Everywhere there are beautiful colour combinations in women’s clothing. The women are always meticulously dressed. Another wonder is watching how babies and small children are carried on their mother’s backs. Just using small blankets and some magical twists of fabrics, the babies are snug and secure.
Today on our home visit, this mother had two small rooms to share with her four children. She rented her space for 40,000 RWF which is the equivalent of about $40 CAD per month! She had a shelf with pots and pans and cooking supplies. The walls of the rooms were made out of mud bricks and stucco with a concrete floor. She made her meals on a small charcoal stove in the outdoor space.
Her home was situated a short walk from the main paved road going down a narrow path winding past other similar homes.
The two very small rooms had one electric, bare, dim, light bulb each that provided a minimum of light during the night.
The bedkit items were a much appreciated addition to this humble home and will improve the sleep of the child that received it.
Across the hill from this home, we could see new apartment buildings built by the government for affordable housing. Families were moved from an over-crowded area while this apartment complex was built and then moved back into small but comfortable apartments.
Tomorrow will be our final distribution day.
For the children.
Team Rwanda, 2025
Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦
SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2025: August 21
This morning we had a couple of minutes before our departure when we were able to enjoy the garden at our hotel. Our driver showed us they have squash that grows 2 metres high and that they can even eat the leaves! We also saw and heard African kites flying overhead.
We arrived at our distribution site in good time and set up photos under a Madagascar almond. There was a lovely wooded area with silk oak and hoop pine as well.
The distribution of 500 bedkits went very smoothly and in record-breaking time but it was sad to have to turn a few away who were hoping there were extras. I was then able to have an interview with a lovely mom and her child who were so grateful for the bedkit. They have been sleeping on a bare concrete floor and have nothing remaining after dad left them.
We made a home visit next. There was a one room mud house for mom and her two children who sleep on the floor. They cook on an open fire and also have a latrine and a well. They rent the house for $30 a month and share cooking with the community. They do grow some vegetables and have a tamarillo tree.
Since we didn’t have too far to drive we went to the Nyamata Genocide Memorial. We had a very harrowing but educational tour there.
On the way home we stopped at a small fruit stand where we bought oranges, bananas and mango. The vendor was so happy and declared “You made my day!”
For the Children,
Team Rwanda, 2025
Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦
SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2025: August 20
After completing our distributions in the Northern Province today, 20 August, we began our remaining bedkit distribution that will happen over the next four days starting with the Nduba Secondary School, district of Gasabo, city of Kigali. We reached our destination early and all the parents along with the children were patiently waiting until the children received their bedkit. Meanwhile, some of the school teachers were keeping the children in order with songs and sermons. We had distributed over 300 bedkits in less than a couple of hours in the first half of the day. Then we had to wait for the remaining children to come as they had a holiday school exam to write.
The second half of the distribution took place amid a big crowd of parents and children. It was amazing to notice how happy the children and their parents were to be receiving the bedkit after walking over 15 km just to reach the distribution venue. They looked tired yet kept those great smiles on their faces and never forgot to say Murakoze (Thank you or Mercy) to us.
It was quite heart-warming to see the maxims/moral sermons displayed throughout the school, such as the following: TUBIBA AMAHARO ( We're Peace Makers), TWITAKUBANDI (We Care for One Another), TURUBAHANA (We Respect One Another) and TURU ROHERANA ( We Don't Fight One Another).
Prior to the distribution, the Executive Secretary (Vice Mayor) in Charge of Social Affairs, the Gasabo District, Ms. Jeanne Nibagwire and the SCAW Team Lead Joep Diening spoke before the audience. The SCAW Team then displayed all the items that were in the bedkits. The turnout of youth volunteers, both the Rotaractors and the community volunteers, were relatively fewer than the other days which made the distribution a bit of a challenge.
In the evening, the SCAW team attended the Fellowship meeting of the Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga where Joep Diening spoke about SCAW. The Rtn. President presiding over the meeting handed their club banner to Joep in recognition of SCAW's outstanding services.
For the children,
Team Rwanda, 2025
Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦
SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2025: August 19
After our day off, we were ready to jump back into our bedkit distribution today. We drove to a school in the Gicumbi District, north of Kigali. Together with the Rotarians and Rotaractors, and some local volunteers, we gave out 583 bedkits bringing our total to 3000. The singing and smiles of the children and their parents warms our hearts and brings a smile to our faces too.
In addition to the bedkit distributions, we have been making a home visit most days. This allows us to see the conditions the children live in and understand the value of the bedkits. The families have been welcoming, opening their doors and showing us their homes. This usually includes 2-3 small rooms for sleeping, a common living room and a small “kitchen” in a separate building.
Some homes have some livestock such as goats or a cow. In this mountainous country, getting to the homes frequently involves walking up or down a steep path from the road, but the views they have are spectacular. These people are strong and agile!
For the children.
Team Rwanda, 2025
Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦
SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2025: August 16
Day 4 - a late blog
Our group headed out at a comfortable hour of 8:00 for what turned out to be a two hour drive. We had a very interesting drive complete with monkeys, tea plantations and crazy back country roads under construction.
At the school we had an assembly of 1000 children, students and volunteers and it was lovely to watch them sing and dance together.
We walked a kilometer along a steep path to a home visit. The mother and children greeted us in her house with 2 bedrooms and a separate kitchen where the goat sleeps. There is also a cow in a corral. It was great to see sweet potatoes and bananas growing there.
For the Children,
Team Rwanda, 2025
Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦
SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2025: August 18
Today is a much needed rest day.
Some team members decided to literally rest while catching up on lost sleep, others decided to visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial to gain a better understanding of some of the Rwandan history while still others are catching up on some of the administrative requirements of SCAW.
Distribution days tend to be long with an early rise, a quick breakfast, a couple of hours drive into the country- side on a combination of paved roads and those that give you a guaranteed “African Massage” as explained to us by our excellent, professional driver. We normally get back well after the sun has set to start the process again the next day.
While on yesterday’s distribution, we experienced a wonderful example of singing parents and children as can be seen in this video:
But today, we slept in, had a leisurely breakfast at 8:30 am and then proceeded to do what we wanted to do.
We are halfway through our distribution with five days done and just short of 2,500 bedkits distributed. We will be starting Day 6 of 10 days of our distribution and should be done with 5,000 bedkits given to the children by Saturday, 23 August.
Although we are in the current dry season cycle of Rwandan weather, last night we were treated to a tremendous downpour of water including a complete lightning light show and very close sonic booms, right overhead. Today has been a drizzly/rainy kind of day to the surprise of our Rwandan hosts. They keep telling us that it is dry season! Hopefully, for tomorrow’s distribution, we go back to a normal dry season distribution day! We can’t wait to see those happy faces when they get their bedkits.
For the Children.
Team Rwanda, 2025
Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦
SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2025: August, 17
Being on a SCAW distribution requires you to live in the moment, be flexible, resilient, focused, and very much open to a variety of experiences.
Rwanda is an amazing country that continues to work very hard as Rwandans focus on bettering the life that they live. Everywhere you look, people are moving either by walking, on bikes, motorcycles, cars, vans, buses and trucks. And all these modes of transportation know how to weave in and out while integrating their movement on the road that they share in what seems to be guided by some invisible master conductor.
Given that Rwanda is a very mountainous country, when travelling on the roads, you are continuously going up and down, while turning left and right.
You see people walking with a variety of loads on their heads.
You see bicycles equipped primarily with single gears, carrying amazing loads - from people on the back as bike taxis, to loads of hundreds of pounds of fruit, vegetables, building supplies or furniture going up and down these hills! You can see the effort, strength and determination it takes of those who ride these bikes!
Then there are the myriad of motorcycle taxis who really are the master weavers as they negotiate heavy traffic and swirl around slower vehicles in a very gentle yet purposeful manner to get to their destination in the shortest possible time so that they can get the next fare.
The cars, vans, buses and trucks pass each other often under various road conditions using a horn or a signal to warn each other while helping each other getting to their destination. For most of the country, the speed limit is 60 km per hour with a few stretches where up to 80 km per hour is allowed. These speeds are constantly monitored through the ever-present photo radar that is everywhere. Also, the Rwandan police are very vigilant and watching while working as teams to ensure any traffic offences are dealt with efficiently.
The movement of all of these modes of transportation resemble the movement of the jitterbug, tango, slow waltz, and every other modern dance you can think of given the interaction between drivers who look at each other while moving forward. And the bottom line: we have seen no accidents and it all works!
At the end of the day, we join the cacophony of traffic with the visual memories of the happy, smiling faces of children who received a bedkit today. It makes everything that we experience so worthwhile!
For the Children,
Team Rwanda, 2025
Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦
SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2025: August 16
Today was the Day 3 Distribution in a picturesque location surrounded by mountains and a lot of tea plantations on the land named Base in the Rulindo District of the Northern Province. The travel experience today was relatively more comfortable and enjoyable as the roads were less bumpy.
The SCAW Team started for the distribution destination at 7:15 am and reached there by 9:30 am. The Vice Mayor in Charge of Social Affairs of the Rulindo District, Mr Mutaganda Theophile, along with quite a few Rotarians including the President of the Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga, were present during the distribution of the bedkits. The location of the distribution was the GS Kiruli Primary and Secondary level school compound which was quite ideal for the distribution.
All the parents along with the children came early and were patiently seated until the children received their bedkits after going through SCAW's regular procedure of sitting for a photo shoot. It was a bright and sunny day with comfortable weather. There was wider participation of youth volunteers, both the Rotaractors and the community volunteers, that made the whole distribution experience quicker and smoother.
Everyone at the distribution was in a festive mood. Prior to the distribution, the Vice Mayor, Mr. Theophile and the SCAW Team Lead, Mr Diening spoke before the audience and displayed all items that were in the bedkits. All parents and children present highly lauded the noble effort of SCAW and expressed their gratitude by a warm round of applause. SCAW Team members each have carried out their assigned role diligently.
One mother, along with her child who received one of the bedkits ,was interviewed on-site by one of the SCAW members. After the distribution, the SCAW Team along with the Vice Mayor, Rotarians, Rotaractors and other volunteers paid a visit to the nearby home of one of the child recipients of the bedkit. The home was located up on the hill and the family (the mother and her daughter) were present during the home visit. It's been quite intriguing to notice that many of the children came from far distant remote areas, walking for hours to receive the bedkit.
Our way back took nearly an hour and we noticed that quite a few families were still walking back to their homes. It was quite reassuring and only reinforced our spirit of giving to a good cause. We are helping so many children living in hard-to-reach remote areas who desperately need a comfortable bed (mattress and mosquito net) for a good night’s sleep. It was a rewarding and fulfilling once-in-a -lifetime experience to see so many families and children benefitting from SCAW's noble mission. One of the mothers whose daughter received a bedkit expressed her deepest gratitude citing that it mattered most to see that an agency thousands of miles away in Canada cared for her child and came all the way to Rwanda to physically distribute the bedkits. She also thanked the Rwandan Government for allowing agencies like SCAW to care for the children of Rwanda. With the spirit and wisdom of that mother we look forward to our Day 4 distribution tomorrow.
For the children!
Team Rwanda, 2025
Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦
SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2025: August 14
Today was the second day of bed kit distributions and we ventured into rural Rwanda.
Previously, we had appreciated the skills of our driver as he drove us through the busy streets of Kigali managing the hectic traffic with a multitude of motorcycles and cyclists constantly weaving through the vehicle traffic. Today’s transportation included all of that and the addition of back country roads. To say the roads were rough would be an understatement and we experienced an “African massage” as we bumped along. More challenging were the worn log bridges . . . better not to look out the sides of the van!
In addition to our driver’s driving skills, we got to benefit from his love of markets as we stopped by a roadside market on the way home. The onslaught of eager sellers could have been overwhelming but he casually managed our purchase of fresh fruits with appropriate negotiations.
Between these driving and market experiences, we had the joy and satisfaction of handing out another 569 bedkits with much help from the Rotarians and some local government folk, bringing our total distritubtion-to-date to 1000.
Team Rwanda, 2025
Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦
SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2025: August 13
Today was a special day as the team really wanted to meet the children who would be benefitting from and taking home a bedkit.
Before starting we were met by the Governor of the district as well as the Mayor of the Gakenke Sector in the north part of Rwanda. The contents of the bedkits were happily presented to the parents and very enthusiastically received! We then started the distribution of bedkits with the excellent support of the Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga (RCKV), the wonderful Rotoracts and some other volunteers which made this complete team effort possible. The members of RCKV worked very hard in preparing the site, the bedkits and the associated transport to the site.
And then there were the children, the real reason why we were there. They were curious about the bedkits and proudly carried some or all of the parts on their heads, backs and in their arms as they walked back home with their parent or grand-parent or guardian and for many, this distance was in excess of 5 km to return to their home village. They were looking forward to getting ready for a really good night’s sleep.
We are thankful to the generous donors and all the volunteers who give freely of their time to make it all possible, especially because 100% of the bedkit donation goes to the child.
For the Children.
Team Rwanda, 2025
Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦
SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2025: August 10-12
SCAW distributions are always an adventure, providing continuous learning opportunities, usually giving one hours of travel experience using various modes of transportation in interesting countries, while being exposed to different cultures all in support of getting to the country where the distribution will take place!
As no distribution is the same, our travel experience was unique . . . a 7 ½ hour flight from Toronto to Brussels and an 8 ½ hour flight from Brussels to Kigali, Rwanda . . . just as scheduled. It was a totally different experience from last year’s trip to Rwanda, which took much longer.
After the standard customs clearance and arrival procedures, we were met by our very enthusiastic and hard-working Overseas Volunteer Partner, (OVP) the Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga (RCKV) who immediately made us feel at home.
Our SCAW team of five have come from various parts of Ontario. After some well-earned sleep following our 24 hour continuous travel experience, we spent our ‘rest’ day having our first full Canadian team meeting, followed by our Pre-Distribution meeting with our OVP, obtaining local e-sim cards for our phones, picking up some local currency and making a quick visit to a local market.
We also got to experience a Celebration of Life event in the evening in honour of the Mother-in-Law of our RCKV SCAW Chair volunteer member who passed away just before we came to Rwanda. We wanted to support him during this difficult time for the family and the family much appreciated it. On distributions you often feel part of the family of the OVP as we have become very close over the past year with the various activities involved with the distributions. And the main reason for this is our shared steadfast belief that children need a good night’s sleep to be more healthy and better able to handle the many challenges that they face.
Tomorrow is Day 1 of distributing a total of 5,000 bedkits over the next 10 days. We do all of this as volunteers . . . for the children!
Team Rwanda, 2025
Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦