Tanzania: Ulongoni

From Tanzania 2012

Today we arrived at a very large school -- the only one in the community. Ulongoni Public School has 3050 students, 35 teachers, and 7 classrooms. There are on average 300 students aged 6 to 14 in each class, and two school times (AM group and PM group). It takes some students up to 3 hours to walk to school, others multiple bus rides (if they can afford it). It was Sleeping Children’s first time at this school and we were greeted with students singing and drumming to songs. A few government members were present overseeing the process, as well as parents, and numerous extremely interested students making large crowds around the team as we set up the site.

Early in the morning, a very special 13-year-old came up to Mama Wandoa remembering her from a SCAW distribution in 2007 in Kitunda. We had the opportunity to interview her and find out how the materials in the bedkit held up, as well as helped her life. She told us, with much emotion, how the bedkit drastically made a difference in her mother and her very minimal life. Both suffer health conditions and, before receiving the bedkit 5 years ago, they slept together on the floor. Sleeping on a mattress made a world of difference to her -- receiving a good night's sleep, being able to wake up early to do things, and so on. As she put it, "Everything changes." She used everything in the bedkit and to this day she still uses the mosquito net as well as the school shirt. She is a leader within the school, and a very sweet teenager.

Along with talking to her, we had the opportunity today to discuss with the community officer the selection process of the children who receive bedkits. In short -- a lot of time and research by the Director of Education and her team goes into selecting those students in need of bedkits (though all of the students are needy).

We finished at the distribution site and went for a visit to the factory where the mattresses are made. We discussed possibilities for mattresses next year and our thoughts on the product we received this year.

From Tanzania 2012

We are now stuck in a typical Dar Es Salaam traffic jam, being approached by men selling potato chips, stuffed animals, car products, beverages, coat racks, and maps of Africa.

It was a special day to see how much a past bedkit given out impacted one child’s life, and still touches children five years later.

Team Tanzania 2012

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Tanzania: Kigogo Fresh

From Tanzania 2012

As we head out of Dar es Salaam at 6 a.m. towards Distribution #5 at Kigogo Fresh it is still dark but we hit traffic as usual and one vehicle horn soon becomes a symphony of horns. Arriving at our site one hour later we decide to give our wonderful driver Saif, the “Driver of the Year Award.”

The beautiful distribution site is at a school where the Head Mistress is a very caring, interested, and involved individual. It shows as the children are full of energy and pride as they sing the Tanzanian National Anthem and their school song for us. Three children and two drums are the percussion section for the school adding rhythm to the songs.

This elementary school has several signs around its small patches of garden and sandy grounds emphasizing the importance of saving the environment and being "green" – "Nitunze Nikutonze."

With mountains and railroad tracks as a backdrop, we distribute 700 bedkits to the neediest of the 2,000 students. If only we had more to give.

Lala salama (Sleep well)

Team Tanzania 2012
Ted, Kathy, Jenny, Jeremy, Marilyn and Karen

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Tanzania: Kimwani

From Tanzania 2012

Today the entire school of about 2,000 Kimwani students sang their National Anthem, then the choir of around 50 students and a drummer serenaded us with a song and dance of "Welcome" before we bagan the distribution of 700 bedkits. (As shown in the video below.) It brought tears of delight to our eyes.

Although health issues are evident (a few children could benefit from corrective eye surgery or foot surgery and most of the children have had malaria at least once) parents and children really appreciate the school items found in the bedkit - the exercise books, pens, pencils, and especially the school uniform. Without the uniform they cannot attend school.

Sleeping Children is constantly working to provide things which the families value, in a cost effective way. Each day through an interpreter, we interview 3 - 4 children and their parents. The bright smiles and look of delight in their eyes as we place the mattress on their heads tells us that the donations received by SCAW are making a huge difference in the lives of many families.

Marilyn Hagerman
for Team Tanzania 2012

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From Tanzania 2012

Tanzania: Bunju A

From Tanzania 2012

Today our team was excited and thrilled to visit homes of previous bedkit recipients from 2010. We first met with Mama Wandoa, our Overseas Partner, and some of the children who had received the bedkits. Team Tanzania wanted to follow-up on the children's thoughts on how their bedkits benefitted their lives. The children are between 11 and 12 this year.

Mama and Ted asked the children various questions such as what items they are still using, as well as what items they thought might be helpful in the future. They all responded that they were using the mattresses, school bags, lined books, and
bed sheets. They thought that more clothing, and school uniforms would be helpful and appreciated. We thanked the children for their insight.

We then went to a couple of the students' homes to view their bedkit items. They were so proud of their homes, and were excited to show us their precious abodes. There were SCAW mattresses, mosquito nets, school bags, and bed sheets in their bedrooms.

When we returned to our vehicle, other children who had received bedkits in 2010 had arrived at the school and we were able to take their photo with Mama Wandoa.

I know that all of our team members appreciated the comments of the students and that they allowed us to share their world. It was wonderful to actually experience how the bedkits affect people's lives.

Kijijii is a Swahali word that means village. Sleeping Children Around The World and the Overseas Partner come together to assist the children of Tanzania. It does take a village to do this great work for them.

Ted, Karen, Marilyn, Kathy, Jennifer & Jeremy
Team Tanzania 2012

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Tanzania: Day 2 - Goba

From Tanzania 2012

Today we had about a one-hour drive outside of the city into an even more rural school setting than yesterday.

We arrived at the site in Goba to see the children in their uniforms sweeping the sandy ground with their brooms made of sticks, though all had frequent pauses to check out the set up of the day to come.

Today was a special day for the students of this school and those of another school to be the receiving their bedkits. It was also a special day for Mama Wandoa as this was her 12^th year (to the day) of distributing bedkits in Tanzania with Sleeping Children.

We also had one of our team members, Marilyn, celebrating her birthday, with "Happy Birthday" sung to her by some very eager students. The students also sung their ABC's (a variation of the version Canadian students sing), the Tanzania national anthem, and they taught us how to count to ten in swahali - a very happy group today.

Until tomorrow - kwa heri!

Team Tanzania 2012

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This just in! We wanted to wish our Team Leader - Ted Swanston - a HUGE congratulations for becoming a Grandpa again!

Tanzania: Day 1 - Kwembe

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From Tanzania 2012

Thursday was our first distribution day. We woke up early to get to a school in Kwembe, a site in rural Dar Es Salaam, about an hour outside the city centre.

As we approached the site, the children ran up to the van with much excitement. Mama Wandoa met each of us with an incredibly warm embrace, as her local volunteers were unloading the materials from the trucks.

The children got called to class while the mothers (and some fathers) watched from the side. Once we picked our photo spot and began to set up the bedkit and signs, some older students came out with "hockey stick shaped" machetes to cut the grass in the area of the photo.

Before the distribution began, Mama Wandoa and Ted explained the Sleeping Children organization and our mission, as well as describing the items in the bedkit to the parents. The mothers were extremely appreciative - clapping and cheering after each item was introduced, again a very overwhelming moment.

After the speech, the children began to line up - dressed in their bedkit t-shirt, with their "kanga" tied over their shoulder. Last year the children wore their kanga around their waist, but Mama suggested this new way would make everyone feel more comfortable. Another change from last year, was the addition of socks to the bedkits, a request from parents in the past.

The children were appreciative, often looking very bashful and full of excitement. At the end of this hot, and sunny, mid-30's day, which is considered to be winter according to the seasons in Tanzania, we left Kwembe knowing that 700 children will have a bed to sleep on tonight.

Until tomorrow - kwa heri!

Team Tanzania 2012

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Tanzania: The team has arrived

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From Tanzania 2012 Photo Album Tanzania 2012 Travelling Team (Left to right): Karen Morgan, Marilyn Hagerman, Ted Swanston (Team Leader), Kathy Devine, Jeremy Miller and Jennifer McCabe.

Jambo from Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania!

Our team of six travelling volunteers arrived here on Wednesday night - to be greeted at the airport by the lovely Mama Wandoa - our overseas counterpart. We visited her home to see the hundreds upon hundreds of assembled bedkit bags for the children, filling up three rooms in her home, piled high to the ceilings.

Outside were two huge trucks filled with the mattresses for our first day of distribution (700 bedkits). The sight of all these bags and mattresses was overwhelming - knowing the amount of work that it took to put everything together, and all the efforts of Mama and her local volunteers, it made everything feel very real.

Ted, Marilyn, Kathy, Karen, Jenny, & Jeremy
Team Tanzania 2012

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Sri Lanka: Mission Accomplished

From Sri Lanka Album

We regret the delay in getting these blogs to you in a timely manner, but we have been in several areas where there has been no WiFi service.

On our last day of distribution at the opening ceremony, we were privileged to hoist our Canadian flag along with the flag of Sri Lanka, and our SCAW team sang our national anthem with great pride. We are now leaving the island secure in the knowledge that 4,000 children and parents are happier because SCAW has been here.

The bedkits have been a bright spark of hope to the people who have been so affected by the civil war, the severe drought that is now devastating the area, and the contamination of the wells that supply drinking water to the villages. (This has happened because due to the water table dropping, the existing arsenic that is in the ground has leached into and poisoned the water).

Including the 4,000 bedkits delivered by
the Sri Lanka team this year, our total is
now 1,237,130 bedkits since Sleeping
Children began in 1970.

There is an African word, "Umoja" that means "the spirit of togetherness". Thousands of miles away, that spirit is alive and well in Sri Lanka. To our donors, everyone involved in SCAW in Toronto, the parents, teachers, the officers and soldiers of the Sri Lankan Army, our partners - the Kelaniya Rotary Club, Brian, Emma, Gary, Heather and Joy, "Thank you" for sharing this spirit with 4,000 children.

Ayubowan
(May you live long and well).

Lynette
for Team Sri Lanka 2012

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Sri Lanka: Day Five

During each distribution a special element of the opening ceremonies was the lighting of the oil lamp. This is an old Sri Lankan tradition for special occasions, celebrations and festivals. The oil lamps came in different sizes, shapes and constructed from various materials, such as tree branches, bamboo, clay and brass.

The traditional brass cockerel is very significant to the Sri Lankan people as it the national emblem.

Each oil lamp was also ornately decorated with an array of beautiful flowers such as frangipani and lotus. What made the lighting of the lamp so significant was the underlining meaning behind it - the symbol of unity.

Each member that lit the lamp played a significant role in the distribution, (the SCAW team, the Rotarians, the army , the principals, teachers and students) coming together for a truly amazing cause: the children.

Team Sri Lanka 2012

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Sri Lanka: Day Three

From Sri Lanka Album

Another amazing day as we headed to A/Sampath Nuwara Welioya for our third distribution.

The impact of years of war were evident, not only through the barren landscape, but through the stories shared by the head mistress during our welcome speech. The team was moved by stories about these rural families abandoning their homes each night to seek cover in the surrounding jungle, and by the visual reminders of bunkers on the school site.

To see the children now attending school free of fear, and relationships redeveloping with the army, gives this village hope towards a brighter future.

For SCAW to be a part of this is something pretty magical.

Team Sri Lanka 2012

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Click to play videos. From Sri Lanka Album

Sri Lanka: Pulmoddai

From Sri Lanka Album

Today we travelled to Pulmoddai where we were met by a marching band and greeted with a traditional floral necklace.

From Sri Lanka Album

The students had taken the time to prepare a performance of a special welcome song and traditional dances as shown in the video at right. (Click to view)

The Sri Lankan Army again was outstanding in working with us to ensure a fast, accurate and efficient distribution of 690 bedkits.

Team Sri Lanka 2012

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Sri Lanka: Tricomalee

From Sri Lanka Album

What an eventful day!

The team awoke early ready to set off at 6 a.m. for Tricomalee, a six-hour journey to the most remote village on this beautiful island.

Upon arrival we were told that instead of handing out 450 bedkits we distributed a whopping 728 bedkits!

We were presented this morning with name tags from the Rotarians. They kindly translated our names phonetically in Singhalese and Tamil.

From Sri Lanka Album

This year the Sri Lankan Rotarians worked extremely hard in putting the bedkits together. Based on last year's interviews, they were able to fulfill the parents requests and provide the students with hard-soled shoes. The quality of the bedkits is superb! The parents and the children interviewed could not believe they were receiving so many much needed items after going without due to the civil war.

Lynette Jenkins
for Team Sri Lanka 2012

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Sri Lanka: The team has arrived

Photos taken at the pre- distribution meeting
on Canada Day in Negombo, Sri Lanka 2012

The Canadian Sri Lanka team are (Left to right): Brian Sutherland, Emma Squire-Smith, Heather Roswell, Joy Squire-Smith, Lynette Jenkins (Team Leader), Gary Jewitt. From Sri Lanka Album

Our Rotarian hosts: (Left to right): Ravi, Sydney, Chandra, Pani, Garmini. From Sri Lanka Album

The 2012 Canadian team has arrived safely in Sri Lanka.

We were met by our Rotarian hosts in Colombo, after being guided by two gracious airport officials in their traditional saris, through the challenges of customs and immigration intricacies. We have been fortunate to have a day to recuperate after our long, 24-hour travel journey, and what a great way to celebrate Canada Day, dressed in our patriotic t-shirts and waving the Canadian flag!

Tomorrow, we leave for Trincomalee at 6 a.m. It will take us six hours to travel to the north eastern side of the island and there, we will do our first distribution of 450 bedkits.

More news to follow tomorrow...

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Uganda: Amuria and Nancy

From Uganda 2012

While we were travelling today, over roads that were 90% clay, to our second furthest point from Kampala, we thought of Nancy, our original team leader and team leader here last year. At the last minute, for personal reasons, Nancy was unable to come with us. She was replaced by Dave. Nancy guided our team throughout its training. She planned this trip in detail, working with the ladies of the Inner Wheel of Kampala. At every turn, we have been conscious of Nancy’s thoughtful care and planning. We all miss you Nancy. Our love and thanks! Hope to see you soon

Today, we presented 500 bedkits in the hamlet of Obalanga, Amuria District. Although, as the crow flies, this is only 35 km from another community we visited, the people of the two places speak languages that are unrelated to each other. None of the Inner Wheel ladies who are travelling with us can speak this language. The lady who went ahead to organize the arrival of the bedkits, worked through an interpreter. Once again, we were in a poor rural community with family-worked fields. It seemed to us that there were more cattle than usual.

Someone told us that in the lower grades of the public elementary school, they have up to 200 students in a class. She said that one of their many problems is feeding children during the long school day. Parents may give them bananas or fruit, or some children gather such things on their way to school, but this is not easy for the younger kids. She said that, in theory, it would not be difficult to prepare, say mutake (the national cooked banana dish) at school but because the families are very dispersed, looking after several children at home, and working in the fields, there is not much free time to walk the many kilometers to school and cook.

We have seen uniformed children playing soccer around what must be private schools but there is little sign of sports in the schools where our distributions take place. Of course, children who walk an hour or so to school get plenty of exercise.

We again visited a home of a bedkit recipient. Again this was a homestead with three or four round, thatched, buildings The smaller huts are for storage, one of the larger ones for the six boys and the other larger one for the parents. These little houses were wattle and daub with the outer daub being cow dung, smoothed and polished to form an easily-cleaned (we were told) surface. The boys of this family played soccer with a homemade ball (something packed into an outer net made of rubber). One of the boys could use this just as though it was an inflated soccer ball.

Tomorrow is another day in Uganda.

Team Uganda 2012

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Uganda: Day 9 - Gweri Distribution in Soroti District

From Uganda 2012

Yoga! In the local dialect this means "Hello!"

The weather was a typical Uganda day in May - hot. Today, the sky was clear with no signs of rain. We have noticed that the further north we get, the days get hotter. This place was a one-and-a-half hour drive and the roads leading to Gweri were all smooth and we enjoyed the ride. We passed through some villages and all went well. We were greeted by parents who were cheering with excitement. We had the assistance of two policemen.

We had one child who was on crutches and one had to be rushed to hospital as an emergency and had malaria. The child came back on time to receive the bedkit.

The distribution went on smoothly and we had parents who volunteered to assist with the carrying of the bedkits to the childrens’ parents/guardians. They were all grateful and appreciated the gifts for their children. The children could be seen smiling and said "Thank you."

The distribution was very close and we had an opportunity to visit the city centre of Soroti. We enjoyed the smells and sounds of the local culture. We made some local purchases and fortunately and we got some red wine which was desperately needed.

Tonight, we are preparing to celebrate our successful distribution with the Inner Wheel ladies.

MESSAGE FOR MAURICE: Maurice, the Uganda Team wants you to know that the label system you designed for SCAW is wonderful!

Elizabeth Mukondiwa and Karen Mackay
for Team Uganda 2012

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Uganda: Real Rural Uganda

From Uganda 2012

Yesterday we visited two homes in Kumi, in a very rural setting. Today we visited a home in a village in the Katakwi District about 7 hours north east of Kampala. All of the houses were “dobe and wattle” (mud huts), roughly three metres in diameter, with thatched roofs. Sometimes the children sleep in a separate hut but in the home we visited today, the entire family, including 6 children, lived in one of these buildings. None of these homes had windows, lights, water, or plumbing of any kind. Cooking is always done outside, even in the local restaurant that we also visited today. The extent of the poverty is seen in the fact that less than one in ten children wore shoes during today’s distribution.

It is difficult for our SCAW team to appreciate the lack of facilities, but we got a taste of it last night as we had no power all night or first thing this morning. Reading and report-writing were done by candlelight or kerosene lantern. This inconvenience totally changed our life for one night yet these people live with this on a daily basis.

This is close to a border so another burden that many of the families have to deal with besides the loss of one or both parents to AIDS, has been warfare and a large number of orphans. Often these orphans are adopted by the remaining family members. This adds to the already substantial burden of raising their own family.

All of the children get up and dressed in their school uniforms each morning, walk to school, bring home their homework, and make sure it is done in daylight. Uganda is on the equator so the sun comes up at six o’clock and goes down at six o’clock.

The saving grace for these people is the incredibly fertile land, fine family agricultural practices, and a year round growing season. Most of the farming is back-breaking labour done with a hoe, mainly by women. We have yet to see any plowing done by horses or tractors. We did see a few cattle-powered plows.

This area has to be the most rural and the poorest that we have visited so far.

Bob and Peter
for Team Uganda 2012

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Uganda: Home visit

From Uganda 2012

Today we were able to visit the home of one of the children who received a bedkit. The family consists of a man who is a subsistence farmer, his wife, and their six children.

The home consists of an area beside a corn field that has three thatched huts surrounding a central area. The central common area and the area around the huts is all hard-packed earth, the grass having been trampled away. The huts are about seven feet square. The floor is hard-packed earth. The walls are made by forming an infrastructure of loosely woven sticks and then packing wet clay often mixed with dung and straw around the sticks. When the material dries it forms a fairly soft clay-like wall. More sticks are used to make a pointed conically-shaped roof frame that is then covered with long reeds (thatch).

One hut belongs to the father, the other to the mother, and the third is used by the children. The wife does the cooking at her hut. The children all sleep in the one hut on the floor which appeared to have a few gunny sacks for them to sleep on. It is very dusty.

The climate allows for much of their living to be done outside except for the rainy season (May to September).

I try to imagine myself living under these conditions and it simply does not seem possible. I am humbled by this experience. I take my creature comforts in Canada for granted. I vow to be ever mindful of my great good fortune in Canada.

The bedkit will be used by all the children. They will probably sleep parallel to each other with their heads and shoulders on the mattress and their bodies on the bare floor. The mosquito net will probably be draped over all of them. If a donor cannot imagine what a difference their gift will make they can be assured that their bedkit will make a huge difference in the life of those six children and will be a great comfort to the parents knowing that their children will be much more comfortable and will be protected from mosquitoes especially during the rainy season.

Don McCormick
for Team Uganda 2012

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Uganda: One Sunday in Africa

I had to go to the toilet in the middle of the night. As I got out of bed, my foot got caught in the bottom of the mosquito net. I ended up wrestling with the net and in the end it won convincingly.

From Uganda 2012

We began our Sunday by traversing south for three hours - once again in beautiful Uganda. It is so easy to see that Kipling called this incredible country the “Pearl of Africa.” The vistas of the mountains and cloud formations will remain in my head for a long time and I will visit them when I need a passive moment.

Our distribution site, in the district of Busia was quickly arranged to suit our needs to efficiently deliver the bedkits to the precious children. A couple of Inner Wheel ladies had arrived earlier and organized the location. Basically-another smooth operation.

Our drive back to the hotel was highlighted by four baboons by the roadside. Needless to say it was a little bit different than the Gardiner Expressway!

Tonight as I go to sleep I will long to hear the little voices bid thank you for the bedkit and to tell me they are fine. I will sleep better knowing they are also sleeping better.

Karen
for Team Uganda 2012

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