SCAW Blog: South Africa, 2025: May 29

Sadly, today was the last day of distribution . . . but with sadness comes happiness as we knew we would be providing 400 children with the gift of a bedkit.

We started our day at with a class of 6 years old. Their excitement was infectious.  They were smiling and jumping up and down.  We then had the opportunity to meet with some of the older students of the grade 6 class.  When we told them what their present entailed they couldn’t help but have massive smiles.

We took some time for interviews with 2 parents along with 2 teachers.  They all agreed that the mattress was the number one item and really appreciated all the items.  They couldn’t be more thankful for the gifts of hope.

The end of the day was capped off by a lovely grade 1 class who were a joy to be around. It’s sad to say farewell as we truly enjoyed our experience in South Africa. We are thrilled to know that our combined efforts have ensured that 2000 bedkits were distributed and now a number of children will have a good night’s sleep.

Team South Africa, 2025

Rotary E-Club of Eagle Canyon 🇿🇦 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: South Africa, 2025: May 28

Today’s distribution started with the older grade 4 children whose command of English is very good.

After we introduced ourselves they shared with us a rendition of their national anthem, after which we sang our national anthem. Their voices were superior to ours.

We received many thank yous with smiling faces and pure joy. 

Afterwards we had the opportunity to see a house nearby.  There were 11 people living in approximately 250 square ft. including a new mother and a 2 week old baby. There was no bathroom nearby but there was well water.  

We had a quick tour of the settlement and saw the entrepreneurial spirit alive and well.  It was interesting to see where the children live. We also met an after-school tutor who helped the kids after school.

Team South Africa, 2025

Rotary E-Club of Eagle Canyon 🇿🇦 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: South Africa, 2025: May 27

The day began on a very positive note as the children were dressed in their new outfits and ready for us!  We had delivered over 300 bedkits to a school that was about 1/2 hr from our hotel.  The contrast of where we stay and the conditions of the settlements are quite startling. The need is great.  There were over 1600 children attending the school with the average class having 52 students.

We have been blessed to have some older children assist the young students with their bedkits as the only logical place to take photos is in the parking lot.  While we took a break it was interesting to hear about what the kids were doing and how far they travelled to school.  They seemed quite educated on how local politics work and knew the roles of a Mayor and Council. 

Team South Africa, 2025

Rotary E-Club of Eagle Canyon 🇿🇦 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: South Africa, 2025: May 26

Good morning Ma’am , , , Is this gift for me? Absolutely yes!

Thank you so much! Thank you so much! Thank you!!

Our third day of distribution was a huge success! The principal and vice principal met us, and everything went smoothly. I want to give a special shoutout to Sanette for all the hard work.

We learned that most of the kids come from single-family homes where the mom is the main caregiver. Out of the 200 graduates, we think about 18 might find jobs. Most of the parents are unemployed, unfortunately.

Our driver, Theo, has been a lifesaver in helping us bridge the language barrier. We really appreciate his thoughtful gifts to the team.

Team South Africa, 2025

Rotary E-Club of Eagle Canyon 🇿🇦 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: South Africa, 2025: May 23

Today we were up early to head to the distribution site.

Our day was filled with surprises and joy.

We arrived at the distribution site at 8:30 a.m. and we could feel the excitement. 
The older children (ages 9-12)  could clearly understand what was being given from Canada. We took the opportunity to show them what was in the bedkit.  We explained how far we had come and how they were gifts.

There are certain days in life that are incredibly special. Today was one of them. From the hugs, to the beautiful songs, to the excitement on their faces, are things that will remain in our memories.  One 10 year old girl said it best when she said, “ THANK YOU. I will remember you forever”.

The kids were very happy with the quality of the bedkits.  Many kids kept asking for the “sponges” (which we soon figured out were the mattresses).

As we left at the end of the day . . . the smiles and the waves kept coming. 

Team South Africa, 2025

Rotary E-Club of Eagle Canyon 🇿🇦 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: South Africa, 2025: May 22

Today was the day we came for . . . to see the children’s smiles. We drove an hour out of town to the famous gold fields. The school was near a small settlement.

The children were shy but well behaved. We asked their names but they were very soft spoken. They opened up when we had a break to sing songs like the Hokey Pokey and The Wheels on the Bus. The quality of the bedkits was very good and included many items the children will find useful.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

We were very impressed. One of the children said, "Namhlanje ndizo lala in peace" which translates to "tonight I'll sleep in peace." That phrase warmed our hearts.

Team South Africa, 2025

Rotary E-Club of Eagle Canyon 🇿🇦 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: South Africa, 2025: May 20 and 21

May 20

We awoke to a beautiful day in Honeydew, on the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa and met with the other members of our team, Sue and Warren.

Our driver picked us up and we travelled to the factory where the mattresses are manufactured. We met up with Sanette from the Rotary E-Club of Eagle Canyon and had a tour of the factory. We saw the completed mattresses along with some of the additional items contained in the bedkits. Sanette informed us that the supplier of the hats in the bedkits was able to purchase two more sewing machines and hire two additional employees with revenue from the order. Excellent news!

After meeting Sanette again in the evening and seeing her level of enthusiasm, we are looking forward to a successful distribution.

Team South Africa, 2025

Rotary E-Club of Eagle Canyon 🇿🇦 and SCAW 🇨🇦

May 21

We were up early today as we had 3 factory tours ahead of us.  After a bit of a drive we arrived at the factory that constructs and makes the mattresses for the children.  It truly was an interesting process from the mixing of the chemicals, to cutting the massive foam blocks to sewing the coverings. The children will certainly sleep well on their new beds!

Our next visit was to a small shop where they sewed the tracksuits that each child will recieve.  The lovely female owner showed us how they create the suit and showcased the 15 sewing machines and staff that worked diligently to produce the 2000 tracksuits . . . the children will look sharp in these  for sure. The last visit was to the supplier of the school supplies.  We were treated to a tour of this distribution center that serves all of South Africa.  All in all, it was a very informative and interesting day . . . tomorrow we get to meet the children as it's our first distribution day! We are really looking forward to meeting them!

Team South Africa, 2025

Rotary E-Club of Eagle Canyon 🇿🇦 and SCAW 🇨🇦