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Sri Lanka
Bedkit #7,000 with Rotary Club of Kelaniya, SCAW Team, and local volunteers.
We have reached the most bittersweet moment of all SCAW bedkit distributions . . . a moment when we celebrate a project well done . . . yet feel sad that it is over.
Team Sri Lanka 2023
Rotary Club of Kelaniya 🇱🇰 and SCAW 🇨🇦
. . . And then the day came when bedkit number 7000 was handed out and there were no more kits to give out in the 2023 distribution.
Today was a long day for us. We handed out 1100 bedkits in two different schools. Both schools greeted us upon arrival with wonderful marching bands followed by speeches, as we have been accustomed to. Later, after having given out the bedkits, we were given tea and tasty Sri Lankan treats.
It has rained every day we have been in Sri Lanka; sometimes the rain has come down in buckets. However the weather gods have also been kind to us and our distributions have really not been bothered by the rainy season.
Today was also a special day for us as we handed out the 50 bedkits Chris and Gail had donated on the occasion of their golden wedding anniversary.
That finishes the Sri Lanka distribution 2023. We are going to miss all the smiling faces we have been met with every day ❤️.
Team Sri Lanka 2023
Rotary Club of Kelaniya 🇱🇰 and SCAW 🇨🇦
Although this is one of our last days, we are still starting each morning in high spirits. However, our one hour trip to the site became two hours as we searched locally for the school where 600 bedkits and children waited. Navigating the myriad of small streets was even a challenge for the driver.
We received a warm welcome with flowers and marching band, a regular occurrence.
Then as we gathered we each lit a welcome lamp which is customary for such gatherings.
Here we were also treated to a wonderful dance in the traditional manner that was both beautiful and inspiring.
At this location Jill and Pamela did interviews with the parents helped by a translator. This interview as well as other questions covered contents of the bedkits, any school issues and distances travelled from home to the distribution.
We knew before arriving in Sri Lanka that the Ceylon of our younger selves was the most beautiful island on earth but we found the people of the country in every way match this expectation.
We did a home visit and could see first-hand how welcome the bedkit is. Thanks so much to the donors.
Team Sri Lanka 2023
Rotary Club of Kelaniya 🇱🇰 and SCAW 🇨🇦
Below is a collage of the various stages the children attend as they head towards their bedkit!
The registration table where the children’s names are checked against the recipient list.
Recipient list (one of many!)
The all-important photo-site, where today’s memory is captured for the generous SCAW donor.
Marking thumbs as the child heads towards their bedkit.
Handing the bedkit to one happy child!
And finally . . . heading home . . . !
Team Sri Lanka 2023
Rotary Club of Kelaniya 🇱🇰 and SCAW 🇨🇦
For other distributions we’ve had adults and a smattering of teens to help out. However, over the last two days we had the absolute pleasure of having wonderful teen volunteers to assist.
This school is in a beautiful mountain area about an hour or so outside of Kandy.
The school is built on a hill creating interesting logistical challenges for small children. Children climb up 8 or 9 stairs and walk another 15 -20 feet before they are greeted by SCAW team members holding out the gift of new bedkits.
Luckily we had many hard-working teens who carry the kits and encourage the young ones to keep moving forward towards their new shoes.
Next, with their own teen helper, the children walk up a hill to meet with their delighted parents.
The teens then run down the hill to get in line to help the next child and they repeat the whole process.
While this is going on in front of us, behind us are the fantastic volunteer boys doing another great job.
Earlier we had a lively discussion with the boy volunteers on what the “girls” (indicating me) bedkit looks like and then an explanation of the “boys“ bedkit (pointing to the blue mosquito net and then to themselves).
The volunteers run up & down the stairs to get the kits & bring them to another table so we can pass them on to the children.
Meanwhile in a large room at the top of the stairs two gentlemen from the school are putting the bedkits together, placing them on a table at the top of the stairs for the boys to bring down.
During all this of passing the kits out, every now and then I’m yelling out “boys” “girls” to keep the kits coming and the flow flowing.
This is truly a priceless event to be a part of.
Team Sri Lanka 2023
Rotary Club of Kelaniya 🇱🇰 and SCAW 🇨🇦
Today we returned to the school in Ududumbara for the distribution of 400 more bedkits. The senior students from the school were eager to assist with the distribution and helped the younger students carry their bedkits to their parents. We really appreciated their help to make the distribution run smoothly.
The school provided us with wonderful snacks and lunches during and at the end of the day.
When we were done we began our long trek back to Colombo. On the way we stopped at a batik shop where we were shown the process of how making batik. Very interesting.
We continued our 3 hours drive through the towns and wonderful landscapes of Sri Lanka.
Team Sri Lanka 2023
Rotary Club of Kelaniya 🇱🇰 and SCAW 🇨🇦
Oh what a fabulous day!
Our distribution was held at a Tamil school high in the hills near Kandy. Children from the surrounding area came to that school to get their bedkits.
The school was very well kept and included grades 1 - 13. We were offered tea in the Home Sciences classroom where boys and girls are taught to sew and to cook.
They were very proud of their library that contained books in both Tamil and English and there were plenty of inspirational signs scattered around the school.
The small children needed help carrying their bedkits and we had lots of volunteers in the 8th and 9th grades to help us with that.
These older children were an absolute delight to work with and whenever we had a spare moment we had no end of fun entertaining each other. Most wonderful of all was having them sing their national anthem to us and at the close of the day, they all wanted hugs which we were only too happy to provide! There could not have been any better way to end the day!
Team Sri Lanka 2023
Rotary Club of Kelaniya 🇱🇰 and SCAW 🇨🇦
Sunshine and rain . . . laughter and tears.
Each day is like no other; the joy of being there and the sorrow of leaving.
Sri Lanka is a very unique and beautiful country and today we arrived at Ududumbara where we were greeted by young people who put on an amazing traditional dance for us.
They train for many years to become so flexible and their costumes were exquisitely decorated with hand- sewn beadwork.
We were also delighted to discover that they had a girls’ soccer team as well as a boys’ cricket team.
The monsoon season has started early which is an extra challenge. We cannot spend as much time with the children as we would have liked . . . the clouds roll in rapidly and it feels like someone dumped a bucket of water over us. The rain started very quickly, about lunch time, but luckily we were able to finish the distribution in time; and it was a warm rain.
This photo is of terracing for growing various vegetables .This is done by stacking coconut shells to hold the soil in place, and to retain a certain amount of water.
I should mention, along with the overseas partners who do an incredible amount of background work, we had an amazing amount of help from the older students at the site. They were exceptional and so very eager to help in any way they could. Chris spent some time talking to many of them.
Team Sri Lanka 2023
Rotary Club of Kelaniya 🇱🇰 and SCAW 🇨🇦
Today is a travel day as we traverse the vast greenery of the Sri Lankan rainforest/jungle. The floral life is everywhere, only interrupted by rice fields.
Rice, a food staple, is cooked in a large variety of ways and blended with amazing spices. Add an array of fruits that are available for breakfast, lunch and dinner and you have dishes that all the team have enjoyed.
We fit in some cultural learning with visits to a spice garden and a tea factory. At the spice garden we were introduced to a wide variety of herbal remedies based on the plant ingredients. The tea factory tour covered all the steps of processing various types of tea in varying quality. This was a well established facility with equipment from the 1930’s.
Being a travel day we all missed the interaction with the children whose wide smiles warm the heart. However, tomorrow is a brand new day with bedkits waiting and ready to be distributed.
Team Sri Lanka 2023
Rotary Club of Kelaniya 🇱🇰 and SCAW 🇨🇦
This was another wonderful day spent with lovely children and great new friends here in Sri Lanka. We left our hotel in our bus at 8 am to go to our third distribution site which was about an hour away. Today 7000 bedkits were given out to children who live in an area where their families tend to be subsistence farmers.
Hundreds of children as well as many moms and dads greeted us, fiercely clapping when we arrived. We were also given a variety of beautiful flowers.
Today’s distribution was at a Buddhist Temple where a young monk and a school girl bid us welcome. After we got set up for the day we were able to start moving the children through. Later we watched their happy smiles as they walked away carrying their bedkits.
The children today came from visually poor circumstances. Many wore school uniforms that were missing parts and some were not wearing uniforms at all. Uniforms are no longer given free to children, but now have to be purchased.
Just as we were almost done, a rainstorm passed through delaying the finish. However, the rain made the heat less oppressive but still our faces remained glazed with sweat.
After handed out the last bedkit, we were served lunch before we drove away, having thus successfully ended our third distribution in Sri Lanka 2023.
Team Sri Lanka 2023
Rotary Club of Kelaniya 🇱🇰 and SCAW 🇨🇦
Our day starts out with a warm greeting from the parents, teachers and children in the community.
The organization and distribution of anywhere from 500 to 1,100 bedkits per day is a smooth operation, thanks to the collaboration of the Rotary Club of Kelaniya and the SCAW team.
There are several jobs that SCAW volunteers are responsible for. My assigned responsibility for the day was to place the gift of a bedkit in the hands of each beautiful child. These are quickly and efficiently lifted into the hands of a friendly volunteer from the Rotary Club to pass on to the child’s parent who is waiting patiently to help, as there are many useful items given to the child.
Having the opportunity to look into each child’s eyes is amazing. I’m unable to put into words how special the sight of each smiling face is. There are many pairs of beautiful eyes, looking sometimes with shy apprehension, but most often with wonder, excitement and joy. l imagine my expression mirrors theirs as I smile with pure joy at every child.
It takes donors, organizers, and hours of work from the volunteers to prepare for each day’s distribution but those smiles make it worthwhile.
Later in the day the rain pours non-stop until we are finished giving the children their bedkits.
Knowing about SCAW for over 20 years and wanting to volunteer for this wonderful charity for many of those years, I am finally living my dream and it is so much more than I could have ever imagined. I go to sleep tired but am looking forward eagerly to my next day.
Team Sri Lanka 2023
Rotary Club of Kelaniya 🇱🇰 and SCAW 🇨🇦
Today we traveled to Udupilla for our first day of distribution of over 450 bedkits. We were presented with Bo leaves from the children and greeted with a marching student band which led us down to the school.
As we entered the school we were met by a room filled with smiling faces of students dressed in their school uniforms. After the candle lighting ceremony to welcome us, we began our distribution.
The day was very hot and humid but the distribution went smoothly with the help of the Rotary Club of Kelaniya and volunteers.
The children were as delighted to receive the bedkits as we were to distribute them. This is my first trip with SCAW and what an amazing experience it is.
At the end of the day, we enjoy a refreshing drink of coconut water.
Team Sri Lanka 2023
Rotary Club of Kelaniya 🇱🇰 and SCAW 🇨🇦
The Canadian team has arrived in Colombo, Sri Lanka and are excited to be working alongside our partner, the Rotary Club of Kelaniya.
Thanks to our donors’ gifts of bedkits, together we will be helping 7000 children get a better night's sleep. This is the first time since 2019 that our Canadian team has been able to participate in the Sri Lanka distribution and we are honoured to be back with this amazing Rotary Club!
Team Sri Lanka
Rotary Club of Kelaniya 🇱🇰 and SCAW 🇨🇦
Here is the second update from Sri Lanka, written by our partners, the Rotary Club of Kelaniya. “Sleeping made comfortable to a group of Children in Sri Lanka – Day 2”.
“A good night’s sleep is a luxury today and facilitating same for a child is a noble gesture that gathers merit. On 26th Saturday 500 children from Pamunugama area, in Sri Lanka got the opportunity of experiencing the warmth and concern of the well-wishers, when they received bedkits donated by individuals and institutions in Canada, under the internationally acclaimed programme, spearheaded by Sleeping Children Around the World (SCAW), thus ensuring themselves of a comfortable night’s sleep.
In this distribution were two Rotary Clubs in Sri Lanka, The Rotary Club of Kelaniya partnering with the Rotary club of Pamunugama, distributing 500 bedkits to children drawn from five schools in Pamunugama area including a group of children from a differently abled home. All the children were seen overwhelmed with joy in receiving their colorful bedkits along with some school items.
The magnanimous gesture of generous donors, funding bedkits, organised by SCAW has been carried out in Sri Lanka for over 25 years and is seen as a unique programme that connects donors and recipients. The great moment, with kids receiving their kits, is captured through the lens of photographers, and presented to donors, which creates much valued satisfaction and long memories to the generous donors. Long Live SCAW!!”.
Here is the update from Sri Lanka, written by our partners, the Rotary Club of Kelaniya. “In an initiative to ensure one additional child in the world sleeps in comfort, the internationally acclaimed programme, spearheaded by Sleeping Children Around the World (SCAW) in collaboration with their overseas volunteer partner, the Rotary Club of Kelaniya in Sri Lanka, successfully accomplished its first phase of distribution on 19th November, 2022”.
Entrance to the distribution site in Sri Lanka
From our partners: “This was possible, thanks to the magnanimous gesture of generous donors in Canada funding for bedkits, organised by Sleeping Children Around the World. Deserving children between ages 6 and 12, from six schools in the area of Wattala received 300 valuable gifts of a bedkit (sleeping kit with school items) at this distribution. The local distribution was organized by Rotary Club of Kelaniya together with the Inner Wheel Club of Wattala on behalf of SCAW. It was very satisfying to see the under privileged children receiving this gift, post the Covid pandemic, especially at a point where Sri Lanka is experiencing a severe economic down turn.
Rotarians, Inner Wheelers and their immediate families grouped together, mingling with a multi-ethnic group of children from all communities, assembled in a temple to add a smile on the faces of these children. The children graciously accepted their gifts whilst sharing words of appreciation and gratitude with Thank You cards and songs”.
Children heading home with their bedkits - ready for a good night’s sleep.
