The Importance of Sleep

Sleep is a well-documented pillar of health, especially for children. A good night’s sleep has a significant impact on a child’s overall well-being and development. Each $40 bedkit we provide offers a child the chance for better sleep, which in turn helps them thrive. This simple, sustainable intervention brings long-term health benefits, making a lasting difference in their lives. Here are five facts about the importance of sleep for children:

Cognitive Development

Adequate sleep is essential for cognitive processes like memory, learning, and problem-solving in children.

Emotional Regulation

Sufficient sleep helps children manage their emotions, reducing the risk of anxiety, depression, and behavioral problems.

Academic Performance

Children who sleep well tend to perform better academically, showing improved attention, concentration, and overall school performance.

Immune Function

Adequate sleep boosts the immune system in children, helping them fight off infections and recover from illness more quickly.

Physical Growth

Sleep is crucial for physical growth in children, as growth hormone is primarily secreted during deep sleep.

“Sleep is like a magical fuel for children.  It has the power to make them feel better, think better and play better.  Let’s give the magic of sleep to every child every night.”

- Dr. Reut Gruber

PhD Psychologist Full Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University; Director, Attention Behaviour and Sleep Lab, Douglas Research Centre, Psychologist at Douglas Mental Health University Institute

Making a Real Difference

Primary Theory of Change

Better sleep can improve a child’s health and school performance, lead to more life opportunities, and improve the chances of finding a way out of poverty.

For many children, the gift of a bedkit is life-changing.  However, the impact of the Sleeping Children Around the World (SCAW) bedkit program goes well beyond a good night’s sleep, and the subsequent benefits derived.

If they were purchased retail by the child’s parents, the cost of the items in a bedkit can represent two months or more of family income – a virtually impossible amount for these families to spend on a child’s sleep or education.  The gift provides not only essential supplies for healthy sleep, but also provides JOY and HOPE, knowing that someone “out there” cares for them.  For donors, it is reassuring to know that 100% of every bedkit donation is spent on bedkit items for the child.  Other overhead costs are covered by a separate endowment fund.

In areas where the bedkit program is active, the possibility of receiving a bedkit has been reported to be a strong incentive for children to go to school.

The mosquito nets in the bedkit save lives and reduce suffering from malaria and other insect borne diseases. Nearly half the world’s population is at risk of malaria, dengue fever or Zika, and children are among the most vulnerable.  A mosquito net provided in a bedkit is typically used by the whole family, spreading the benefit well beyond the recipient child.  Reduced sickness results in fewer missed days of work, and increases the family’s economic stability and well-being.  In countries where malaria is endemic, bedkits generally include long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLINs).

Overseas Volunteer Partners (OVPs) source bedkit items in the country of distribution whenever possible, and often include items made in local cottage industry.  Purchasing items locally generates economic benefits, reduces transportation and other costs, and ensures bedkit contents are tailored to local climatic needs and culture.  The $40 donation also goes a lot further in the country of distribution than it would in Canada.  Since 1970, most of our total bedkit funding of over CA $52 million has created jobs in local small businesses in each country where SCAW sourced bedkit contents and have distributed bedkits.

OVPs are typically local Service Organizations (Rotary Club, Local Charity, Inner Wheel, etc.) that have the goal of helping the people in their community.  For these organizations, the distribution process increases their publicity and visibility, giving people knowledge of where to turn for help.  It also allows the OVPs to identify and address other critical needs in their country.

Some of these other benefits of the SCAW bedkit program are summarized in the diagram below as a more fully developed “Detailed Theory of Change”.

It should be noted that this detailed Theory of Change is consistent with the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:

  • End poverty in all its forms everywhere

  • Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

  • Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

Social Return on Investment

Social Return on Investment (SROI) is an approach of estimating and accounting for social, environmental, and economic value created by a program. Although, as described above, the impact of the SCAW bedkit program is varied, four particular impacts will be used to estimate the SROI:

  1. The direct cash savings for families from Bedkit items

  2. The impact on local cottage industry and skills development

  3. The economic value derived from lower incidence of malaria and other insect borne illness

  4. The long term benefit derived from improved economic prospects, for the recipient child

The SROI for the SCAW bedkit program will then be estimated by summing the impacts identified.

Direct Cash Savings for Families from Bedkit Items

In many Lesser Developed Countries (LDCs), school is provided free of charge by the government, but families are required to source items such as uniforms, shoes, workbooks, pencils, rulers, etc. For any child that is to attend school, this puts a financial burden on the family. Many items in a SCAW bedkit are included to directly alleviate this burden. The direct cash savings for such families, and the resulting SROI for this can be calculated as:

SROI(1) = (Portion of a bedkit providing required items) x (Cost increase for purchasing retail) x $1

SROI(1) = (0.25) x (1.5) x $1

SROI(1) = $0.38

Testimonials

  • While on my last distribution in Bangladesh, I noticed a 20ish year old gentleman standing off to one side watching as we did the distribution. He stood there for hours. After we were done, he came over and introduced himself and said "I received one of your bedkits over ten years ago and it changed my life. I felt, if people from halfway around the world cared enough about me to come and help me, I had better do everything I can to help myself.” He went on and became an accountant and credits the bedkit for making this happen.

  • In Yallapur, India, we had a young mother and her son, who had received a bedkit three years previously, show up at the distribution and do whatever they could to help make the distribution go smoother. She said because of this great gift from Canada, she was able to save the cost of her son’s schooling for a year, and now, though their hard work and savings, he has the opportunity to attend college in a few years. It was a very touching moment.

  • I truly believe the value of the bedkit contents goes far beyond the mere monetary value of the items. Certainly, the mosquito net, the blanket, the clothing etc. are articles that the family may never have been able to afford…but more importantly is what you see in the eyes of those children and parents when you hold their hands and look into their faces, the look that says, “Thank you for caring, thank you for coming here and bringing hope for our child’s future.”

  • Given the economic background of the children mostly living in a single multipurpose room, we normally identify items which they can keep in their small space and use daily. However, we are always on the look out on how to improve the sleeping items which would be more comfortable, durable, and foldable to store in the day. We can always reduce the not-so-usable personal and expendable school items.  The first of your other two questions: The bedkit definitely has a lasting impact on the child. The child gets the feeling that someone cares for him/her. It provides them with better comfort to sleep. Otherwise, they may be sleeping over just a sheet or a brush mat on the floor. Even that would be old with lot of wear and tear. Further, now they have a sheet to cover too. Your second question on motivation: All members of our Club were not born with a Silver Spoon. When we were young, we never had the luxuries that we enjoy now, so we are able to understand the difficulties of these children better. Therefore, we feel it is our duty to devote a little time and money of ours to ensure that the generous donations of someone abroad to give relief to underprivileged children of our society, reach the needy. It also gives us a sense of joy and satisfaction.