Togo: Our OVO

From Togo 2010 Photos

The conversation sounds like this:

"How did SCAW transport the bedkits to Africa?"
"We didn't. The Overseas Volunteer Organization, (Action Enfance et Développement - Togo) sourced all items in their country."

"How did SCAW deliver the kits to the remote villages?"
"We didn't. The Overseas Volunteer Organization [OVO] arranged for lorries to deliver them."

"How did SCAW get bedkit items at the best quality and price?"
"We didn't. The OVO received competitive quotes."

"How did SCAW select the children?"
"We didn't. The OVO identified children from a strict selection criteria."

"How did SCAW arrange for your security in Africa?"
"We didn't. The OVO was with us at all times during our stay."

Our partnership with our OVO is "the magic" that makes the distribution process possible on behalf of the children and our donors.

Bravo OVO!

Team Togo

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Togo: Personal touch

From Togo 2010 Photos

Labels are the heartbeats of our charity.

They identify each of our donors. They also verify that $35 has been received for each bedkit. A label appears in each photograph together with the child and the bedkit items. The label is the connection between the donor and the recipient.

Labels tell many stories. They remind us of special occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries. They describe school fundraisers, church bazaars, and service club projects. They also recall moments of unspeakable personal grief. Our team saw Alina's label on day number three. We also felt a mother's pain. Alina was the daughter of one of our SCAW team members. Her daughter's life had tragically ended at the age of twenty-three.

Our team is inspired by Carolyn Carere's courage. Two children in Togo received bedkits in Alina's memory. Carolyn met privately with these families to add a personal donation. She discovered unexpected similarities that amazed her. Each child was one of four children in their family -- as was Alina.

When Carolyn rejoined our team we were strengthened by her beaming smile. The "excellent personal touch" of our charity has taken on profound new meaning for each of us.

Team Togo

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Togo: Dormez bien

From Togo 2010 Photos

As travelling volunteers for SCAW we do not need Steven Covey to remind us to "begin with the end in mind." From the 6:30 AM start of our day, through loading the van, travelling tiring distances to remote villages outside of Lomé, greeting the parents and children, setting up for the distribution, then taking the photos, our goal is realized as the children receive their bedkits.

On behalf of our donors, we are overjoyed to receive the excited smiles of these needy children as we say to them "C'est un cadeau du Canada; dormez bien," and watch them start the long journey home carrying their precious gifts.

Janice Gillespie
and the Togo team 2010

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Togo: Tears

From Togo 2010 Photos

Tears are always a part of a distribution. They arrive without warning.

Our van bumps along roads that minutes later will become mini-rivers from the sudden torrents of rain. It seems that we are far away from children and schools. Then suddenly we come upon the site. Children rush to our van, they reach out to touch hands that we have involuntarily thrust through the open windows. The caregivers break into song and dance. The scene is one of explosive joy.

Our tears are natural.

Also Bob's family and our distribution team can relax. His deodorant has arrived!

Team Togo 2010

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Togo: Hope

From Togo 2010 Photos

Hope is Leslie Banner's reassuring touch for an eight week old abandoned baby girl.

Hope for a school age child in Togo is the frenzied excitement of knowing that for the very first time he or she will sleep on a real mattress, experience the safety of a mosquito net, and know that the khaki material will make a cherished school uniform.

Hope for a mother in Togo is the happiness of knowing that the bedkit is an answer to her prayers.

Our donors give more than a bedkit. They engender hope in the hearts of people in the remotest corners of Africa.

Grant Clark
for SCAW Team Togo 2010

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Togo: The team has arrived

From Togo 2010 Photos

Greetings from Team Togo in Lomé:

All except one piece of luggage has arrived safely after sixteen hours of flying. Fortunately the missing luggage does not contain items essential to our distribution and we are all hopeful that Bob Barclay has his missing deodorant very soon as we are already coping with 90°F.

We had a joyous reunion with our Togo Overseas Volunteer Team, and can hardly wait to see the first 400 children tomorrow.

Theresa Carravetta
for SCAW Team Togo 2010

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Togo: Delayed start

The Togo Team has been delayed for one week due to the volcanic ash and we have been waiting anxiously for the international flights to resume. We are now scheduled to depart from Toronto on Friday, April 23^rd on our way to Lome, Togo, West Africa. Our team will arrive on Saturday evening and meet the Overseas Team who will be working in close partnership with us until our departure on May 6^th. Our first distribution is on Monday April 26^th.

Our Canadian Team is honoured to have the privilege of representing our many donors. We will touch the hands and hearts of 4,000 of the world’s most beautiful but impoverished children.

We are eager to get started!!

The Togo Team

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Togo: The team prepares

The travelling team for Togo 2009 met at the Sleeping Children office this week to prepare for their trip later this month.

Pictured left to right: Leslie Banner (Team Leader), Carolyn Carere, Grant Clark (Team Leader), Janice Gillespie, Bob Barclay, Theresa Carravetta.

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Togo: Post your comments here

Lome, Togo Weather

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Kenya trip reports posted

The donor newsletter for the Kenya bedkit distribution has gone to print and can be downloaded from the Sleeping Children Website.

Kenya 2010 Photos

Photos are available in the Kenya 2009 Photo Album. You can view them by clicking the link above.

If you would like to read the reports on the web, you can read them in their entirety here.

Here is a download link for the PDF version of the newsletter.

Belgaum trip reports posted

The donor newsletter for the Belgaum bedkit distribution has gone to print and can be downloaded from the Sleeping Children Website.

Belgaum Photos 2010

Photos are available in the Belgaum 2009 Photo Album. You can view them by clicking the link above.

If you would like to read the reports on the web, you can read them in their entirety here.

Here is a download link for the PDF version of the newsletter.

Mumbai trip reports posted

The donor newsletter for the Mumbai bedkit distribution has gone to print and can be downloaded from the Sleeping Children Website.

Mumbai Photos 2010

Photos are available in the Mumbai 2009 Photo Album. You can view them by clicking the link above.

If you would like to read the reports on the web, you can read them in their entirety here.

Here is a download link for the PDF version of the newsletter.

Pune trip reports posted

The donor newsletter for the Pune bedkit distribution has gone to print and can be downloaded from the Sleeping Children Website.

Pune 2010 Photos

Photos are available in the Pune 2009 Photo Album. You can view them by clicking the link above.

If you would like to read the reports on the web, you can read them in their entirety here.

Here is a download link for the PDF version of the newsletter.

Chennai trip reports posted

The donor newsletter for the Chennai bedkit distribution has gone to print and can be downloaded from the Sleeping Children Website.

Chennai Photos 2010

Photos are available in the Chennai 2009 Photo Album. You can view them by clicking the link above.

All of the reports did not fit into the newsletter but you can read them in their entirety here.

Here is a download link for the PDF version of the newsletter.

Kenya: Mission accomplished

From Kenya 2010 Photos

Last distribution

Finally we finished the last distribution at Njoro.

All the 5,000 are done and all is well.

It was a great experience for me being a travelling volunteer, after being a OVO for quite some time.

Nitin Shah
for SCAW Team Kenya 2010

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Kenya: Gilgil distribution

From Kenya 2010 Photos

We left Naivasha in the morning and then distributed 500 bedkits at Gilgil today. It went off very smoothly.

We are now staying at Nakuru Game Park, and we plan to do our last distribution at Nakuru tomorrow morning.

We head back to Nairobi after that and fly out on Thursday.

SCAW Team Kenya 2010

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Kenya: Navaisha distribution

From Kenya 2010 Photos

The Kenya team tells us they have been having trouble sending reports because of server problems. This just came in today.

Please post the following:

We completed our distribution in Navaisha today with 500 bedkits in a smooth and successful event. The kids were particularly well behaved and appreciative.

Tomorrow we are off to Nakuru for another 500. Only a couple of days to go.

The time has flown.

The Kenyan Team

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Kenya: Thika distribution

From Kenya 2010 Photos

Day 4

The rain has stopped (at least in the daytime).

Today we were off to Thika to meet up with what Kenya travellers have come to know as "Eleanor's Kids," a very emotional distribution as many of the children were rescued street kids and kids that have been affected by AIDS in their families.

Many tears -- as would be expected. The team split up to visit three different homes of children that had received bedkits. Words can not describe.

Tonight we are packing to move off north (or is it south?) for a distribution in Kijabi.

George Foster
for Team Kenya 2010

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Kenya: Kibera distribution

From Kenya 2010 Photos

Day 3

After heavy rains last night we arrived at the school in Kibera, Africa's largest slum (3 million people), to find children busily washing and sweeping the wet pavement of the courtyard where our distribution was to take place. When they were finished we set up and completed a smooth and successful distribution of 672 bedkits.

The teachers and volunteers were well organized and we were pleased to work with them to complete our work without a hitch.

We hope the rain will continue to limit itself to night time hours.

Patti Penny
for Team Kenya 2010

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Kolkata trip reports posted

The donor newsletter for the Kolkata bedkit distribution has gone to print and can be downloaded from the Sleeping Children Website.

Kolkata Photos 2010

Photos are available in the Kolkata 2009 Photo Album. You can view them by clicking the link above.

All of the reports did not fit into the newsletter but you can read them in their entirety here.

Here is a download link for the PDF version of the newsletter.