Chennai: Madurai

We completed the distribution of 630 bed kits at a medical building in the heart of Madurai. We had some excellent help from local Rotarians and several students from a nearby college. John had a great chat with 4 young ladies from the college that were excellent helpers about their schooling and their future aspirations. Laurie-Beth conducted some very informative bedkit surveys thoroughly enjoying the conversations with some local families. It was Susan's first day taking photos of the children and she did a fabulous job. The children as always were beautiful. The distribution went quite smoothly with some delays toward the end with the late arrival of youth from 150 km away. It was very hot and we kept the children indoors and in the shade as much as possible. Everyone drank lots of water and although exhausted remained up-beat and healthy.
We saw some interesting versions of ambulances parked on the main street next to the distribution site. While in Madurai, we visited the Gandhi museum, the Sri Meenakshi Temple, the Thirumalai Nayak Palace and a textile factory. All have been fascinated with the Indian history learned and the life of an amazing person being Gandhi. We were required to be barefoot in the temple which caused a little discomfort for some but it was well worth it to feel the spiritual presence of the people praying and the awesome visit with the real live sacred elephant. We experienced a light show at night in the palace augmenting a story of the life of one of the Madurai Kings accompanied by many mosquitoes and our lovely Rotarian hosts who came to the rescue with repellant. We capped the evening off with a lovely dinner on the rooftop terrace of our hotel overlooking the City. We will be visiting the textile factory later today before flying back to Chennai.

Doug for Team Chennai 2013
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Team Kolkata Bashirat

Team Kolkata  was delighted to attend a wedding last night . The bride was the daughter of a Rotarian.  What a treat for us to participate in this fine occasion. We all felt blessed.

Today’s distribution was at Bashirat about a 2 ½ hour drive east from Kolkata towards Bangladesh. The distribution  was hosted at a Boys Mission school. The 13-15 year old boys were so keen to help in the whole process,  our jobs were very easy. The food preparation for hundreds of people  still amazes me. Rice is cooked in cauldrons rather than in pots. It was a great day here in India and 364 children are having a comfortable sleep tonight.

Marg Garrett for Team Kolkata
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Kolkata: Sarkarpool, near Brace Bridge Station

India is truly a land of contrasts. This is reflected in our distributions. We strive to find good backdrops. Since it is the dry season, the leaves, the flowers and the grounds are all dusty drab brown.  Contrast this with the beautiful colourful girls’ dresses and boys’ shirts. We visited a recipient’s home. Again dark drab floors contrasted with the colourful ground mat and mattress. The sweet dark faces of the children are contrasted with their beautiful eyes and winning smiles. How fortunate we are to have had the opportunity to experience these contrasts. How thrilled we are to know that 364 more children will have a comfortable sleep tonight and enjoy the thrill of new colourful clothing and school books tomorrow.

Joan Hryniw  for Team Kolkatan 2013
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Chennai: Home Visits

We did two home visits after the Ambattur distribution to children who had received the bedkit in 2012. One family of four lived in one room and the other family lived in a small 3 room dwelling. Each family had one single bed, a cooking area with no running water, no indoor plumbing, an outside toilet area that was shared with the neighbourhood block. There was a communal outside water pump to get water for washing, cooking etc. The one family bought drinking water separately. There were no windows in either home and they were dark although they had electricity.
Mosquitoes were in abundance. Families were appreciative of the nets.It looked as if the bedkit items were well used and the girls eight year old girls who had received them were so delighted to have us visit their home. Both parents in each home were also present for the occasion.
In the first home, the father worked as a plumber. He earned $200 Can per month of which his rent for 3 rooms cost $30 Can. The second family living in one room earned approximately $200 Can, with their rent about $15 Can.  The father is a mason and his wife, a housekeeper. The mother and daughter in this family were very bright and seemed to manage what little money they had well.

We found these visits very meaningful and emotional and left with fond farewells.
Laurie-Beth and John for Team Chennai 2013
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Kolkata: Distribution 4!

Today we traveled to Barrackpore a suburb of Kolkata 25km away. As always, the traffic was unbelievable but we have a great driver so we feel safe.

The distribution today was set up on the grounds of the “Gandhi Ashram” on the Eastern banks of the Ganges River.  Gandhi was a frequent visitor here and it now houses a museum

The children lined up under wonderful sunshine and pleasant temperatures, they created a rainbow of colors in their new clothes. Their faces are so beautiful, a few tears from the tiny ones as they are a little scared but mostly big smiles and sparkly eyes. They are so patient and well behaved.

We gave out 575 bed kits today in about 3 hours. It is very well organized by the helpful Rotary club members.

J C Tremblay for Team Kolkata 2013

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Kolkata: Guskara to Kolkata

After a smooth distribution of 800  bed kits in Guskara we were back on the road to Kolkata. The first stretch takes us through the farm lands and small villages, past goats, cattle water buffalo who graze in the rice paddies.  There are fields of potatoes, mustard, sugar cane and mostly rice  paddies. On the crowded road there are wagons and trucks loaded with sacks of rice on their way to the rice mills located along the road. Now and then we spot long open sewing factories, brick factories and huge coal fired power plants.  After 3 hours we were in the hustle and bustle of Kolkata.

Team Kolkata 2013 
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Chennai: Another Great Day!!

We had a 3 hour drive from Chennai to Nellore today for our bed kit distribution.  It was an interesting drive, although it required an early start.  We saw lots of different scenery on the drive from heavy urban development in Chennai, rice paddies and sugar cane fields on route to dry, almost desert like conditions at Nellore. 

We received a traditional welcome at the Zilla Parishad High School in the rural area of Nellore.  The welcome included traditional drums, flower lais  and flower petals.  It was a great welcome and we had lots of helpers from the high school.  With all the help the distribution of 450 bed kits went quite quickly with only a few minor halts to check on issues.  Our recipients included a small group of children with special needs.  During our interviews, the parents indicated that they were thrilled with the bed kits and looked forward to using the items for their children and families.  We had 3 monkeys playing in the trees just beside the bed kit distribution area that offered some extra entertainment; sorry still no photos of the monkeys, camera shy I guess.  Kim entertained her helpers by attempting some phrases in the local language, to many giggles from the girls.

Following the distribution, all the helpers were fed a meal through a generous donation to the school.  We then visited a local Marriage Hall that was under construction.  It was a massive structure and very well built.  We found out that it is common in India for marriages and receptions to include well over 1,000 people.  One of our local Rotary volunteers described a wedding where the whole village was invited, some 30,000 people.

Long drive home afterwards through rush hour traffic as we came into Chennai, which was an experience all by itself, with several abrupt stops and near misses.  Good thing we had an experienced driver to get us safely home.

  

All in all it was another great day with our team.

Dennis for Team Chennai 2013
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Kolkata: The Strength of Numbers

Asansol: The Strength of Numbers 

As the SCAW Kolkata 2013 Team wrapped up their 2^nd day of distribution partnering with the Rotarian Club of Dumdum, this is what the numbers revealed:

1 Dream: to gift a child a safe and comfortable night’s sleep

2 Teams:  SCAW and Rotarians, worlds apart coming together to work as one

4 Vehicles: carrying bedkits, SCAW supplies and volunteers

6 Canadians: proudly representing fellow Canadian donors

13 Distribution Sites: carefully chosen to accommodate the throngs of people

25 Bedkit Items: thoughtfully picked by Dumdum Rotarians to meet local needs

50 Rotarians: volunteers anxious to help their own

789 Bedkits: locally manufactured at fair market value, personally delivered by SCAW members

1578 Children and guardians/parents: eagerly made their way from far and near

1700 Healthy Meals: prepared and served, piping hot, at the distribution site

Unlimited: unanticipated heartfelt hugs and grateful handshakes from the kids, volunteers and onlookers participating in this organizational feat.

Kathy for Kolkata India 2013 Team
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Streets of Chennai

None of the SCAW team were prepared for the chaos of traffic congestion and driving down the streets of Chennai.  On Monday we set out for our third distribution in Ambattur.  At 7:30am the vehicle traffic was relatively calm.  Rush hour does not begin until 8:00am.  However, the streets were teaming with people walking on the roads, waiting for buses, getting breakfast at the many roadside food stalls and washing/bathing at the public water taps.

Flashes of colour were provided by the women's bright saris.  Children in their school uniforms were waiting for public transport.  Cows meander with impunity as they are considered sacred and revered.  They are very useful, along with the goats and dogs, in eating garbage strewn on the roads.  Women with twig brooms were sweeping streets in front of their shops.  A barbers chair was set on the sidewalk, where a man was having his haircut and his shave for the day.  Shops were opening as we drove by.  Of particular interest were butcher shops with carcasses hanging from hooks out in the open sun and live chickens in crates.

The traffic increased as we approached 8:00am.  The streets were filled with trucks, cars, motorcycles, bicycles, buses, ox carts and auto rickshaws.  The motorcycles often carried whole families with the driver and the passenger each holding a child or baby - none wearing helmets.  Traffic lanes were regularly ignored and intersections were negotiated by bluff in hope that the other traffic would yield.  Horns blared and people scurried out of the way.  Pavement was often broken, curbs non-existent, ruts and pot holes abounded and resulted in a harrowing, bumpy ride.

We did arrive safely for a successful distribution at a Rotary operated school with 18 teachers and 500 children.

Laurie-Beth for Team Chennai 2013
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Chennai 2013: Tiruvallur

Another good day with good weather and a smooth distribution.  552 bed kits were distributed in Tiruvallur at the Rao Bhadhur Calavala Cunnan Chetty H.S.S. school.  We were greeted by a small drum and bugle band and welcomed warmly.  The distribution was managed by C. Venkatachelam with youth volunteers consisting of students from the school as well as Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.  Our youth volunteers were well dressed in their uniforms.  They were a very dedicated and responsible team of young volunteers and made the distribution run smoothly and with great enthusiasm.  

On the way back to the hotel from the distribution, as well as seeing the common site of many sacred cows a monkey was spotted on the sidewalk on a main street in the City.  A lunch of traditional Indian food was enjoyed by all.  Everyone is looking forward to another successful day tomorrow.

Team Chennai 2013

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Kolkata: The Team has Arrived!!

Team Kolkata arrived safely in India and was greeted ceremoniously at the airport with flower garlands.   We have celebrated with our hosts 15 years of  wonderful SCAW service having distributed over 70 000 bed kits. We are on the road for the next few days.






Team Kolkata 2013
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Chennai: Avadi

Today is our first distribution at Avadi.  We distributed 525 bedkits. The rotarian in charge was PS Ramdas (Ram).  My responsibility was preparing the children for their photo to be taken by Laurie Beth. The day ran very smoothly for a first day distribution.  The weather was sunny and hot.  We had wonderful high school helpers that were very happy to be there and worked together with our team and helped create a positive experience for the children.  This years clothes looked beautiful on the children and enhanced the photographs.

We toured the Ambattur Rotary Hospital and visited the Bal sanjeevani Cerebral Palsy Rehabilitation Centre, the kidney dialysis clinic, dental clinic, eye clinic and x-ray department.  We saw the aqua therapy room that is in process of being prepared for treatment of the hospital's patients.

   

Sue for Team Chennai 2013

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Chennai: The Team has Arrived

The Chennai 2013 has arrived safe and sound at the Beverly Hotel at 4:00am., graciously escorted by our Rotarian friends.  The trip was uneventful and all of our luggage arrived intact also.

We will start our day later today after everyone has rested and freshened up.

Excited to be here,
Kim Baxter for Team Chennai 2013
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Nicaragua: It's a Wrap!

The 2012 Nicaraguan bedkit distribution production has faded to black and our last distribution was a blockbuster success. Our location in the lush hills of Nandasmo outside of Masaya, created a festive mood with a local Xmas tree and crèche made of a native vine. We were treated to Xmas music with a live DJ. Tuk-tuks (see photo) were doing brisk business transporting children and their families complete with mattresses home.

“Muchas Gracias”  to our amazing Rotary hosts and to the warm and generous Nicaraguan volunteers and people all made possible by you the SCAW donors.

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Team Nicaragua 2012
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Nicaragua: Lights, Camera, Action!!

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!
Set-up today was on stage  in the courtyard of a school with Nicaraguan flags in the background. The stage was set for action!  The crew had their positions.  The characters were dressed in their new shirts and came forward by designated groups to the stage to be captured on camera.  The SCAW team prompted smiles and the children were ushered to their individual spots by the set director.  The cameraman captured the shining dark eyes, flashing smiles and energy of 400 beautiful children.
Prior to their stage entrance, Jill encouraged children to try English with, "hello", "good bye" and numbers from 1 to 10.  As they exited stage left they received their bedkits from Melanie and were escorted by a band of spirited teen volunteers.  The children were given juice and a snack and led to their waiting parents.
Tomorrow will be our final encore.

Cathy Ogilvie and Jan Pearce for Team Nicaragua 2012

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Nicaragua: Esteli

Today we did a 2nd distribution in Esteli; it was our first time doing two distributions in one place.  So while it was nice to have a sleep in (breakfast wasn't until 7) it made it a little more difficult at the distribution site when we first arrived there.  Apparently many families had heard about us from the day before and word of mouth had spread -  many people arrived there hoping for a bedkit and unfortunately we had only 400 to give.  

It is hard to believe that we have already touched the lives of 3200 children - we are all saying an hola, como esta or gracias to each and every child that comes to us.

Each child that is to receive a bedkit is given a "ticket" when they come to the distribution and one thing that has struck me is that those tickets are like gold to them.  In the 3200 children that we have seen, there has not been one instance of a child losing or misplacing their ticket.  That alone shows how precious these bedkits are to these children - they clutch those tickets and protect them.

Today we had a little wait at the end with the last few girls while we waited for some more supplies to come.  Melanie and I had a great time playing basketball (with a stuffed turtle) and doing some piggy back races

Jill for Team Nicaragua 2012

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Nicaragua: Special Moments

Another crack of the dawn start for Team Nicaragua and a stunning 2 hour drive past rice fields and beautiful mountainous terrain as our van climbed to our 7th distribution deep in the heart of tobacco country where cigars which rival those from Cuba are grown and rolled. Even though the area where we had our distribution today has a 1% unemployment rate, there is still a marginalized sector of the Esteli population in need of assistance for their children.

Our Rotary partners turned out in full force, including the current President and all 3 of her children, to do their critical piece in ensuring a smooth distribution.

The SCAW team members continue to experience special moments with individual children.  Today's special moments consisted of one very intimidated boy finally settling as a result of a SCAW member's gentle
soothing, and he ultimately beamed for the camera.  Judy, our team leader, received a spontaneous hug from one very grateful child and another member coaxed a short dance from a very shy boy as the children waited for their bed kits.  We all treasure these moments.

Team Nicaragua 2012

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Nicaragua: Our Overseas Partner!

Rotarians with the SCAW team

We are more than half way through our Nicaraguan trip. I want to tell you how impressed we are with the commitment and generosity of our hosts, the Rotary Club of Managua. They have been preparing and working for months to set up these distributions. They have chosen needy locations, met with local church, school or community groups to explain the SCAW program and how volunteers will be needed to help on the day we give out the bedkits to the children. 
Months before they get quotes and make arrangements for the various items such as the mattress to be locally produced and ready for our arrival. They also arrange for warehousing and security of the 4000 kits to be given out.

Each day of distribution, several Rotarians are on site to help with translation, organizing local volunteers and solving any problems that may come up. They have also pitched in and rolled mattresses, moved kits, and generally helped wherever needed.

Thank you for making our work easier.

  

Cathy Ogilvie for Team Nicaragua 2012
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