Bangladesh: A Special Distribution

Well, as promised, today was special with the bedkits in memoriam of Mari Peterson giving us an opportunity for the kids to have different poses for their photos.

From Bangladesh 2011

They clapped, gave thumbs up, blew kisses, clapped, and opened their arms wide as they shouted “Mari” – everyone had fun with an emotional day!

We also continued to have fun with the all 861 kids gathered at this ancestral home of Gulru with the kids all seeing and participating in the bubbles, Frisbees and the excitement of the photo area.

From Bangladesh 2011

The children receiving the bedkits are all sponsored by local Rotarians who are responsible for selecting the boys and girls according to Sleeping Children guidelines. They arrange transportation to the distribution site as well as food and water since some of the children travel some distance over poor roads from their home villages. Today’s group included some from the local village plus many more from an orphanage funded by one of the Rotarians and his extended family. These children may have a parent but the house conditions are so poor they cannot be fed or go to school.

Tomorrow we do some home visits to families that received bedkits last year – always a special time for the team.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s blog on these visits.

Team Bangladesh 2011

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Slideshow below.

Honduras: Colonia Santa Eduviges

We rise early to prepare for our journey to Colonia Santa Eduviges and a distribution of 870 bedkits at Escuela Alfonso Guillen Zelaya.

From Honduras 2011

We collect in the hotel Lobby at 6:30 a.m. We board our ride and begin our thirty-minute journey to the outskirts of Tegucigalpa and the waiting children.

Every morning starts out somewhat similarly. We roll into the vehicles that will carry us to our ultimate destination -- where we experience a tremendously uplifting feeling -- a feeling that one experiences watching pure joy envelope the young children that we distribute the bedkits to. It reminds me so much of watching our daughters on Christmas morning, when they still believed in Santa Claus.

From Honduras 2011

Our ride is filled with banter from the previous days experience: What was the most striking and heart wrenching story from the previous day? Was it the class of young students that had to begin their journey at 1 a.m. to arrive for an 8 a.m. distribution? On the ride home they were totally giddy after an excruciatingly long day because they would not have to sleep in cardboard boxes that night
.
Santa Eduviges today was so much more of the same: the smiles and laughter of young children and the anticipation of receiving a gift of something that they have never had before in their lives. It warms your heart and makes you wish that you could do so much more.

From Honduras 2011

As always, the Rotarians and the First Lady's troupe of assistants are there to make, what seems like an overwhelming task for six people, very organized and efficient. Most importantly it allows us to spend more face time with the children, really enjoying the fruits of the generosity of all of the donors to SCAW.

Ken Teslia
for the Honduras 2011 Travelling Team

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View all the photos in our photo album

Bangladesh: A Great Day and a Special Tomorrow

Today’s distribution in Dhaka for 1,000 children was at the bedkit warehouse site that was used for the first time last week at our first distribution for a smaller group and which did not work very well. The Rotarians and Sleeping Children team made several changes to ensure this day went smoothly – and it worked perfectly!

From Bangladesh 2011

700 children came by bus from as far away as 100 km; a journey that took four hours crowded in very old busses. They were organized at a park two blocks away and then marched to this warehouse distribution site with the help of uniformed officials who blocked traffic for their safety.

We marvel at the Rotarians’ ability to make arrangements as needed to fulfill the promise to donors that we will deliver 100% of their generosity for the children.

All of the boys and girls were excited to receive their gifts and today’s experiences will bring lasting memories for them and their families – and, of course, it was accompanied by playing, bubbles galore, and lots of fun as the kids had their pictures taken.

From Bangladesh 2011

Tomorrow’s distribution will be highlighted by the sharing of “in memoriam” bedkits for Mari Peterson who along with her husband Rein were to be part of the Bangladesh 2009 team. Her subsequent illness prevented that from happening.

Rein has donated bedkits with the wish they will be given to children from one area and we are having this special distribution tomorrow at one of the Rotarian’s ancestral homes. Tomorrow’s distribution will be very special.

Team Bangladesh 2011

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Honduras: Zambrano

Today is Wed Oct 26^th and we travelled forty-five minutes out of Tegucigalpa into the rural region of Zambrano.

From Honduras 2011

We had a very successful morning distributing 494 bedkits. Most of the children came by bus from as far as fifty kilometers away.

After the distribution we travelled a short distance for two home visits, that were organized by the local Rotary Club. The road was very difficult to traverse — uneven, many pot holes and back in Canada you would think of it as impassable. The first home we visited consisted of three rooms, each approximately nine square meters, at most. A family of six lives in this small area. The home was made of concrete blocks with no windows and a single light bulb hanging in the main room.

From Honduras 2011

One room was for sleeping, one as a living room (at night it is used for sleeping), and the third was a eating/kitchen area. The home also had an outdoor oven and a small garden. One of the little girls who lived in the home received a bedkit in the morning. She will now have a mattress, pillow, bed sheet, and blanket to sleep on tonight. It is overwhelming to see the conditions these lovely people live in and how much the bedkits are needed.

We then visited another home that was a little larger, having two extra bedrooms, but nine people shared this home. Very similar to the first home, very tidy, mostly because there is no furniture or fixtures and still only one light bulb per room and concrete floors.

From Honduras 2011

As we were about to leave, we saw a boy and his father struggling up this torturous road on their way home. Attached to the rear of the father's bicycle was the boys bedkit from this morning. I have included this scene as one of our pics from today ... big smiles from the boy and father!!

Tonight we will be attending a Rotary Club meeting where SCAW will be the focus of the meeting. I am looking forward to meeting their oldest active member who is 101!

Valerie Teslia
for the Honduras 2011 Travelling Team

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Bangladesh: Day off in Dhaka

After an eighteen-hour drive yesterday which included a successful distribution of 1,139 bedkits and a late night ferry ride, we arrived back at the hotel for a well deserved sleep.

From Bangladesh 2011

So today, on our day of leisure, we decided to tour Dhaka and experience more chaotic traffic. Thanks to Gulru our wonderful tour guide, to his wife, and to Rowly the Rotary chair of the Sleeping Children committee we had a wonderful time.

The modern parliament buildings contrast with the university building, Curson Hall, established in 1904. The Old Fort begun by Mogul invaders in the 17^th century has a serene garden and there we enjoyed having our photos taken by school kids on a field trip. Our fair skins attract a lot of attention so we smiled happily for their cell phones, knowing that “ha so” means to smile.

From Bangladesh 2011

A visit to the New Market -- actually quite old -- helped us buy a few souvenirs and that was followed by a delicious lunch in an air conditioned Indian restaurant.

And so ended our “restful” day as we now prepare to meet another crowd of happy children tomorrow.

Sally Jo Martin
for Bangladesh Team 2011

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Honduras: Day 2

The weather co-operated. Yes, blue skies, a perfect day for the 650 bedkits distributed in La Travesia (Colonia San Miguel) neighbourhood at the Juan Ramon Molina Escuela where children were bused in from a wide area range. Both the team of young people working on the First Lady's "Healthy Schools" project pictured below, and the our most helpful host Rotarian partners were there bright and early.

From Honduras 2011

I learned from a young man that Lempira, the Honduran currency is named after their national hero fromm 1502. We were soon on a roll, and things moved smoothly with the distribution.

I had the good fortune of handing out bedkits to the smiling, and beaming children, and just having some fun with them. It was so touching to see those faces light up from sheer joy to disbelief at being actually able to point and choose their own bedkit. Wide-eyed children showered me with hugs -- another gift in abundance -- and such gratitude is, indeed a rare gem. SO,we've established without a doubt that Spiderman bedkits rock! They elicited great thrills and enthusiasm by the boys -- not so much, and least popular were the yellow/flowery ones.

After a scrumptious lunch, compliments of Rotarian Roberto's wife, we headed off for an afternoon visit organized by Roberto who is in charge of procurement for SCAW's bedkits to the Inmeca Mattress company, the only mattress company in central Honduras. There's one more further afield in San Pedro.

From Honduras 2011

The Canadian travelling team, pictured here are (Left to right) Ken Teslia, Valerie Teslia, Linda Taiabjee, Irene Harrison (Team Leader), Jan Fine, Jim Gibson.

On the way, we sampled some tortillas being made in a little roadside shop. And, we even got a taste of what a Tegucigalpa traffic jam was like. At the thirty year old factory, Javier the manager gave us an excellent tour of how the mattresses are produced not only for SCAW, but also for the general community. Our pillows are also made here from foam. Cheaper raw materials are imported from Pakistan and China. Today, they were expecting the chemical to arrive that treats the foam. They couldn't keep up with the demand because of the recent rains that caused mildew damage to a few hundred mattresses. It's a rudimentary type of industry. The factory covers one acre of land.

FACTS:

• On good days, the average of 1,000 mattresses for Sleeping Children are produced.
• October-March is the busy time
• 45 employees earning 6,500 lempiras a month (approximately 19-$1) are equally paid
• The work day is 7:15-4:15 with an hour for lunch, plus they get paid for overtime
• They do receive benefits which is insurance for government, i.e. dental,and health paid between the owner and helper
• Vacation time is between 10 days(one year) to 20 days(5 years) a year
• No material is wasted, scraps being used to say tie bundles
• Also springs are made here too (metal imported from Brazil) for all sizes single to king
• For anyone interested in purchasing a mattress you are going to pay for a full (double) one between 2,200-5,000 lempiras.

Janet Fine
for the Honduras 2011 Travelling Team

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Bangladesh: 1,139 Bedkits

Site 5: Gaurnadi, Barisal

With an early start before breakfast, we had an impromptu stop to watch the preparation and baking of tandoori bread. This led to a prolonged stop that included a delicious griddle-fried omelet, tandoori bread, and tea. Our breakfast arrangements were solved. (See photos in our photo album or in the slide show at the bottom of this post.)

From Bangladesh 2011

Two hours later we arrived for the largest distribution of our road trip: 1,139 bedkits. Some children had travelled five hours to come -- 70 kilometres!

Our location today was at a school dating back from 1893. What a joy it was to be greeted by hundreds of children when we arrived -- children who were cheering, waving, and brimming with anticipation for the day. Later in the day a group arrived adorned in paper hats inscribed with reference to Sleeping Children and the Rotary Club.

What a blast to play with a group this size by throwing frisbees and blowing bubbles. Hard to imagine the group dynamics of hundreds of children laughing and having such a great time.

After a flawless distribution and a delicious late lunch served at the school we went for a stroll in the village accompanied by several child guides.

Who could ask for a better day?

Michael Graves
for Bangladesh Team 2011

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Honduras: First Distribution

Today's distribution took place in the Kennedy neighbourhood of Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras.

Before we began, we were seranaded by a small choir of young children who sang a couple of songs with help from their teacher. A great start to the day.

Over 600 bedkits were distributed to children bussed in from several school districts. The distribution ran very smoothly and we were helped by enthusiastic volunteers from the Rotary Club of Tegucigalpa and volunteers from the Healthy Schools project (a department of the government headed by the First Lady of Honduras).

Very recently Honduras has been hit by very heavy rains (it is the rainy season) which has caused severe flooding and damage to many homes and roads. The bedkits were certainly welcomed.

Today, however, we were very fortunate as it was warm and sunny during the dictribution. The Hondurean children have beautiful dark eyes and hair and wonderful white smiles.

Today was a great beginning on our Hondurean journey to help deserving children get a good night's sleep.

Jim Gibson
for the Honduras 2011 Travelling Team

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Bangladesh: Madhpur Pabna

Today we were in the Pabna District in the local village of Madhpur. The distribution site was located at a Dhaka Rotarian’s ancestral home where the family also operates a hospital for the local people.

We arrived to a huge celebration. It seemed like the whole village had turned out for the festivities.

From Bangladesh 2011

The site was decorated with gala banners that might not be out of place at a wedding festival. It was like a sea of blazing colours. We had so many people looking over the walls and visiting the area to see what was happening as we prepared for the bedkit distribution.

We eventually got our bedkit and location set when a workman accidently struck a plastic water line buried three inches underground and flooded the photo area. We picked up the bedkit and moved to higher ground until a solution could be found.

From Bangladesh 2011

Meanwhile, Sally Jo Martin, Sleeping Children’s resident pied piper, entertained the children in the sweltering heat. Eventually we got underway and moved the 700 children through the process and out to their homes.

The children were smiling happily although they must have felt they had waited hours. After a reception and greetings from the local dignitaries, we had a light Bangladeshi lunch of rice and chicken and then we were on our way for a three-hour drive for a night’s stay before tomorrow’s distribution.

Tomorrow we will pass the halfway point in our trip and will have handed out over 3,000 bedkits.

George Foster
for Bangladesh Team 2011

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Bangladesh: Isherdi

Whew! It's been four days since arriving in the early morning of last Thursday after a door-to-door twenty-seven hours of travel time. We spent the first day getting organized and getting rid of jetlag and from then on it has been rock and roll travel and distributions.

From Bangladesh 2011

Three days of travelling to the north west area of Bangladesh, four distributions, 1000 kms and twenty hours on the road and of course 1800 smiling kids with their bedkits. I am tired just writing this!

The distribution today in Isherdi was smooth and fun with the kids dressed and waiting in a large shaded area at a school. Some of the team “warmed up the crowd” with bubbles, Frisbees and Quacker the duck -- while the rest set up.

We did arrive a little late due to -- early in our travels this morning -- running out of fuel due to a faulty gauge. An hour later we were on the move after experiencing another slice of Bangladeshi life on the street: visiting roadside stands, riding rickshaw-vans, and yakking with passers-by.

From Bangladesh 2011

By late afternoon we arrived in the town we will be doing a distribution in tomorrow so we decided to go to the local street market. What a different way of feeding a town than what we know. Fresh vegetables, fish, meat, and many other products and services are available and all accompanied by a sea of people on the move just feet or in some cases inches away.

And, of course, if we stop, the crowd gathers, looking at the novelty of having big white-skinned people in their midst. Mike and I were hanging out at the front of our hotel tonight and a group of guys just materialized with it ending with me trying to teach them how to finger whistle. Fun was had by all…

Stay tuned for more daily blogs as we travel to three of the four corners of Bangladesh.

Doug MacDougald
for Bangladesh Team 2011

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Honduras: The team has arrived

The flight from Toronto to Tegucigalpa was pleasant.

The SCAW Team was met at the airport by most of the hardworking Rotary Club of Tegucigalpa officers and members. Our first destination was the bodega (warehouse) where the bedkits were assembled and stored.

Honduras 2011

They spoke about the challenges they encountered this year to make the bedkits as attractive and useful to the children as in prior years despite the rising cost of material and labour.

The warehouse was negotiated with the help of a lot people who believed in the wonderful job Sleeping Children does and the dedication of our Rotary partners in bringing smiles to the children. The security of the bedkits were assured with the help of the army.

We are so excited and are looking forward to our first distribution on Monday. Hasta luego.

Linda Taiabjee
for the Honduras 2011 Travelling Team

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Bangladesh: Debiganj and Rangpur

Today our day started at 6:00 am as we prepared to reach out to 660 of the neediest children in the northern part of Bangladesh.

From Bangladesh 2011

Debiganj and Rangpur are two brand new distribution sites that SCAW has never visited before. While travelling for two hours the team was introduced to the Bangladeshi “Gamcha” a head scarf or their local towel.

When we arrived in Debiganj, we were welcomed by 300 wonderful smiles, loud clapping and singing children. We listened to a passionate rendition of a student singing “We Shall Overcome” and then we both shared our national anthems. The SCAW team was given the opportunity to plant two Banyan trees to commemorate their visit. These trees will provide future shade for the 100-year-old school’s courtyard.

From Bangladesh 2011

After a light thank you lunch we were on our way again for another two-hour trip to reach our next distribution of 360 bedkits in Rangpur.

This distribution took place in an old rice factory which provided us with a real natural setting for the photos. The happy smiling children and their parents were most appreciative of bedkits that had been kindly donated by all the SCAW donors.

A Big Thank You to all our donors! The team is looking forward to another wonderful day of fun and excitement tomorrow.


Mike Foster
for Bangladesh Team 2011

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Bangladesh: First Distribution

The first distribution was completed in Dhaka today with some special bedkit dedications of thanks from the Sleeping Children team to the Rotary Club and others celebrating last year’s team member Danielle Lalonde’s marriage to Masudal Alam.

It was a great start to providing comfort to 6,000 beautiful children in Bangladesh.

From Bangladesh 2011

We then headed north with the combined Sleeping Children and Rotary team on an eight-hour road trip. Along the way cameras were clicking as we passed brick works, rice paddies, ponds of water hyacinths, overloaded hay wagons with many men perched on top, and, of course, vehicles of all conceivable kinds.

While the bus driver did a minor repair in Bogra we had a great time hanging out with the local kids who loved having their picture taken, thumb wrestling, action games such as ‘head and shoulders knees and toes,’ and all finished off by both national anthems sung with much gusto.

Oh, and of course as you can see in our photo album -- and also in the slide show below -- some team members chewing pan as we try on for size some Bangladeshi experiences.

Stay tuned for more fun tomorrow.

Sally Jo Martin
for Bangladesh Team 2011

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Bangladesh: The Canadian team has arrived

We arrived early this morning and the neat thing is too get initial reactions from the team members that have not been to Dhaka before.

The photos in our Photo Album and quotes below tell the story of the market and street walk about and the initial meeting with the Rotary Club of Dhaka’s Sleeping Children’s (Overseas Volunteer Organization) committee.

From Bangladesh 2011

The impressions: are:

• “Amazingly friendly people just wanting to interact, find out where we were from, use a Canadian flag pin as their earring and have their picture taken – all without any expectation of money - interesting and refreshing.”
• “We are in the best part of the city and the crumbling infrastructure or lack of it is surprising – power outages numerous times a day are the norm.”
• “The Rotarian members are passionate and committed about Sleeping Children. They welcomed us at the airport at 4 AM and are friendly and inclusive to the new members of the team”

Click here to view our Bangladesh 2011 Photo Album

Dhaka is a city so different than one we are used to with 15 million citizens living with very high density land use.

Doug MacDougald
for the Banlgadesh 2011 Team

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Bangladesh: Trying to pack

I should be packing but instead am trying to get creative with our team photo since the team is a little more unusual this year with one member already in Bangladesh.

From Bangladesh 2011

In the photo at right is Bangladesh Team 2011: Danielle Lalonde (Honorary Member), Sally Jo Martin, Doug MacDougald (Team Leader), George Foster, MichaelGraves, Else Graves, Mike Foster. Click to see a larger version.

Mike Foster, whom I have teamed with in Bangladesh the last two years, is now a private school principal in Dhaka, Bangladesh, has been there since the summer, and is a member of the Rotary Club of Dhaka our Overseas Volunteer Organization (OVO). He is helping with both ends of a SCAW distribution ... how cool is that!

See if you can find Mike in my other creative version of the team photo in the 2011 Bangladesh Photo Album.

And on another wonderful note, Danielle Lalonde from last year's team, although not officially on the Bangladesh Team 2011, is our honorary team member since she is now living in Dhaka. Masud, a the long time Rotary SCAW project leader, and Danielle are planning their wedding reception for family and friends and this occurs at the end of the distribution. True love happened last year on the Sleeping Children Bangladesh distribution. Congratulations, Danielle and Masud.

To introduce the rest of the team: Michael and Else Graves are the rookies but world travellers and will fit in very well with travelling this year to three of the four corners of Bangladesh! Sally Jo Martin has been an office and travelling Sleeping Children volunteer for many years and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the team. George Foster (Mike's brother) and I were Sleeping Children rookies several years ago in Mumbai, India, and shared a wonderfully formative experience together.

What a team -- and we are ready to get there and deliver 6,000 bedkits to 6,000 kids.

Doug MacDougald
for the Banlgadesh 2011 Team

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Bangladesh: Final Preparations

Final Preparations of the Bedkits for the Bangladesh 2011 Distribution:
The Rotary Club of Dhaka completes the final preparations of the 6000 bedkits that will be distributed at the end of October.

From Bangladesh 2011

All of the bedkits have now been packed and sorted and are ready to be shipped to the various parts of Bangladesh that will be visited when the team arrives from Canada on October 20^th.

The SCAW team will be visiting the north-west, north-east and south-west areas of Bangladesh this year as we travel to the poorest areas to help the children. Please watch for the blogs and map showing our profession.

The warehouse team shown in the picture above and in the pictures in the Bangladesh 2011 Photo Album are the unsung heros of a distribution and do tremendous work in hot conditions. They are showing some of the items that will be part of this year's bedkit.

The Rotary Club of Dhaka is waiting anxiously for the the SCAW team to arrive so the distribution can begin.

Mike Foster
for the Banlgadesh 2011 Team

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Nicaragua: The last distribution

We're Done!

Our final distribution day started with an overnight thunderstorm and torrential rain.

From Nicaragua 2011

Fortunately, not long after we arrived at a church in La Chureca, the sky cleared.

This is a location in an inner city area of Managua. We had lots of helpers to make the distribution run smoothly.

From Nicaragua 2011

Several children were brought to the site in wheelchairs and the volunteers carried the chairs up the stairs to a stage where the photos were taken.

Today's total was 652 bedkits, 652 happy children and families, and 5,000 children sleeping better in Nicaragua.

Including the 5,000 bedkits delivered
in Nicaragua this year, our total is
now 1,178,130 bedkits since
Sleeping Children began in 1970.

Judy Dryden
for Team Nicaragua 2011

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Nicaragua: Chiquilistagua

Today our distribution of 542 bedkits took place at Mino Jesus de Praga school.

From Nicaragua 2011

It was very hot and humid but everyone worked well together.

Three young girls, having discovered that we were from Canada, handed me a note to be delivered to Justin Bieber. The translated note said “We ask you to say hi to Justin and tell him we are his fans.” Who would have guessed that in this far away land in an inner city school that our Justin would be recognized?

From Nicaragua 2011

They also said on the same note. “Thank you for all your help you are giving us today. God Bless you.” Signed by ten young girls from Jesus de Praga school.

Jean Bennett
for Team Nicaragua 2011

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