Kolkata: The distribution at Midnapur
Today we left our hotel at 6 AM to witness
Kolkata waking up. First notation, many
open fires on the street, mostly to keep
warm but also I suspect to burn the garbage. The clutter would be swept into a
pile first, then they would hunch close to the flames. I noticed too, that mostly men collect at the corner store for hot
morning cha (tea) or coffee. They stand as they share stories. 
Three hours later we arrived in Midnapur and were escorted to the site by two Rotarians on a motorcycle. This
distribution site was quite hidden from
the main road and not easy to find. This
is a first time distribution for Midnapur and they drew the children from as
far away as 150 km. It was a very large undertaking for our partners. These
same Rotarians from Midnapur provided a
beautiful floral display to grace our site. There were yellow, pink and orange Dahlias,
the flower heads the size of dinner plates, quite remarkable. While the
children were dressing and eating, local girls performed dances celebrating
life both of mother earth and also of a marriage ceremony. The children chosen as recipients of the bed kits were intrigued with
the dancers. 
Marg Garrett for Team Kolkata
Chennai: Final Distribution
We held our final distribution of 715 bedkits in T. Nagar;
just a short jaunt from the hotel. We had some challenges setting up the photo
area and originally had a large blanket hung on some old doors, but had to
change the setup when part of it fell and bonked Susan on the head. Two ice
packs and some Advil later and she was good to go. No lasting effects other
than a story to tell. There was an
abundance of high school girls that were great helpers, gaining smiles with the
lambchops puppet and keeping the children organized.
During a pause in the distribution, the girls entertained us
with a traditional dance and a choral piece.
It was quite enjoyable.
It was a hot day and we drank lots of water to keep us
going. At the end of the distribution we
were both thrilled and disappointed to have completed delivery of our 6,000
bedkits and to be nearing the end of our time together.
The following morning we were invited to attend a Hindu
wedding ceremony in Chennai for the niece of one of our local Rotarians. It was
very interesting to see the rituals that make up the wedding ceremony. We were very thankful for this opportunity.
Team Chennai 2013
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Kolkata: Chandannagar
Today we were off to Chandannagar. It was a French territory until 1950 and still retains a small bit of a French flavour. It is situated along the the Ganges river. Our distribution was held at the French Museum which was just across the street from the river.Although the grounds were beautifully kept with rosebeds, marigolds and lots of other flowers all encircled with short privet hedges, we were unable to use them as a backdrop due to the lack of space for laying out the bedkit. 
The children came from many small schools surrounding the town and within the the town. Most of these children came without shoes and it was delightful to see their expressions as they left with shoes. 391 children will sleep well tonight and then enjoy their new shoes and book supplies at school tomorrow.
J. Hryniw for Team Kolkata 2013
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Chennai: Chenglepet
Wednesday we did a distribution of 450 bed kits in Chenglepet. It was an early start at 6:00 am followed by a three hour drive to the distribution site. Part of the drive was along a coastal highway and we had scenic views of the Bay of Bengal and seaside resorts. We had hoped to stop on the way back to the hotel to see some saltwater crocodiles but ran out of time.
At Chenglepet we had a great view of the mountaintop
temple that the town is named after. Local history tells of two eagles
that used to fly to the temple at 12:00 noon every day. It was said
that the locals could set their watches by the birds arrival.
Unfortunately, the last of the pair of eagles passed away about 6 years
ago.
The distribution site was on a busy local roadway
bordered by shops and was a bit congested, but with some shifting of
tarps and roping to guide the children through the site, we made a tight
but functional space. Our local Indian residents helped
enthusiastically as we moved bedkits from the main building to the area
for handing them out with smiles and chuckles as the odd member got
bopped with a bedkit that was being passed down the line. The women were
generous and wanted to share their lunch with us.
The local Rotarian President acted as our assistant
to our photographer (Susan) and used our puppet (Lambchops) to solicit
smiles and giggles from the children. He was great and we wanted to
kidnap him and take him to our next distribution but he got away. Many
thanks to him and the other helpers.
The children arrived excited with waving and
attempts at communication. They were even more excited and relaxed as
they loaded onto their buses with their bedkits.
Kim for Team Chennai 2013
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Chennai: Vellore Part 2
We held a second distribution at the Kumaran Mahal, Sathuvacharry in Vellore today. We had a short but interesting drive to the site as we drove against the majority of traffic on a roadway that was marginally wider than single lane. Eventually after a detour down some dirt roadways we got into the traffic flow and to our site.
Our first youth were deaf and mute, but still managed to say thank you as best they could. The distribution of 700 bedkits went well with lots of help from our driver who was awesome. He pitched in and helped wherever needed without being asked.
Dennis for Team Chennai 2013
Kolkata distribution 9&10
Yesterday we drove about 100km from Kolkata
to Krishnagar. The town is located beside the Jalangi river. It was a first
time here for SCAW. The distribution was held in a sports stadium. The day went
very well. We gave out 360 bed kits. The temperature was unusually low for this
time of year so the locals were all bundled up.
After a quick lunch we boarded our bus to
drive another 100km to Baharampur the site of our next distribution.
In the morning we started out early. It was
a first for this town as well. Once we got going, it worked like a well oiled
machine. It was a big day for the children. Some came on a 2hr bus ride, some
in organized trucks that held many children. Still others came from just down
the street. All 792 children seemed very happy.
Another great day for team Kokata….
J’aimerais saluer nos amis du Quebec ainsi
que tout nos supporteurs au Canada.
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Chennai: Vellore
Prior to starting the distribution Laurie-Beth, with the
assistance of a very humourous college professor, had the chance to explain
what was in the bedkits to the 1st group of children. They became increasingly excited as each item
was displayed. The children in this
distribution were from outlying areas and were transported in, mainly by
bus. We distributed a total of 718
bedkits.Following a late lunch with the Rotarians, we visited 2 local temples. The first temple was the Vellore Fort and Temple. We finally got some photos of monkeys Alan. We were given special garments and led around the temple as VIP’s escorted by a 2 man band. Locals were taking photos of us as we made quite a spectacle. The second temple we visited was constructed out of 18 carrot gold adorned with chandeliers and surrounded by water and fountains. It was night time by now and the temple was lit and shone for many miles around. Cameras and cell phones were not allowed and we almost got turned away for wearing capri length pants but our Rotarian friends convinced them to let us carry on. There were many plaques along the journey up to the temple with important life lessons written on them. Our feet were black from the barefoot temple trodding and we were exhausted but ate a late supper and prepared for bed for another big distribution tomorrow.
Kim for Team Chennai 2013
Kolkata: Bonhooghly
Today’s distribution was 382 kits in nearby Bonhooghla, in slums of the
Kolkata area taking only about 20 minutes to get there. The children were
patient and orderly and the parents were kind and gentle to their
children. Winter and Monsoon seasons are the hardest for these families.
Winter: not enough warm clothing and poorly insulated roofs. Monsoon:
flooding of homes (most sleep on the floor, and many have to be
evacuated to shelters). We also ran into a snag because the children’s
food was very late arriving. Everything recovered and we got down to the
end when one child had lost her “ticket”. All the tickets were
recounted and Richard double checked everything to sort out the kit
numbers. Of course, the child got her kit and we finished happy. We
returned to our Hotel early and are preparing for a two day outing and
an overnight in Baharampur.
Wayne Cooper for Team Kolkata
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Chennai: Kilpauk
Today is Sunday January 27,2013 and today we went to the
Kilpauk distribution site in Chennai. We gave out 681 bedkits to the lovely
children of this area. Several of these children were special needs once again.
We had many helpers from the veterinary medicine college to help us with the
extra tasks involved with these children. It was very touching and rewarding to
present these children with a bedkit. Their smiles and waves warmed our hearts.
Their teachers were extremely sensitive to their needs and protective of them.
The weather continues to be hot and sunny but we encountered some clouds and
shade to help us through the day. Water was a must. Following the distribution
we were treated to a lovely lunch in the home of Jyoti and Dhaulet our host
Rotarians.
Susan for Team Chennai 2013
Kolkata: Anatomy of a Distribution
Upon
arriving at a distribution site, the first order of business is to
review the path the children will follow to the various pit stops. The
goal is to make the route as efficient as possible and have every pit
stop in the line of sight of the next. This way the SCAW team can see if
one pit stop is experiencing any difficulty and go help out if
necessary. Distributing between 350 – 800 bed kits per day, definitely
is easier when the flow is just right. The children are sometimes a
little nervous of the whole procedure so local volunteers are spread
throughout the process to help direct the kids in their language and
give a reassuring hug to those who need it.
The various stops:
2. The children receive their knapsack which includes an entire set of clothing which they change into for the photo.
3. They line up for their photo and “Haso” (smile in Hindi).
4. They then go and meet their parent to pick up the bed kit containing various basic and useful items, which is too big for the kids to carry alone.
An
important decision for the SCAW team is to choose the location of the
photo so it is representative of the area, conveniently located, allows
for the sun movement in the sky throughout the 4 – 6 hour shoot, and
most importantly, is interesting for the donors to look at so it
showcases the stars of our show: the beautiful children.
The
days that go extremely smoothly are usually the result of a
distribution site that is tried and true while others, like today, are
more challenging due to the first time use of the site. But, every time
we return to a site it gets better and better as the SCAW and Rotarians
learn how to maximize the space.
The pictures, in fact, tell the whole story!
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Kolkata: Day of Rest
January 25 was a much needed day of rest.
The team got to sleep in a bit and then after breakfast, we completed some
tasks regarding label resorting. With this completed the team was then able to
visit a modern shopping complex complete with McDonalds and Pizza Hut on the
edge of the city. This is a complete antithesis to the small vendors that line
the streets throughout most of Kolkata. The
evening was spent aboard a small vessel cruising the grand and holy Ganges
River. This cultural experience had been arranged by our Rotarian hosts. 
The
morning of January 26 found us once again on the road to a distribution, but
with a special twist. This is the day, all of India celebrates their
independence day in 1947. We were able to witness a very pleasant ceremony at
one of the local schools. At the completion of the program, we commenced our
photography and by mid afternoon had distributed 480 bedkits.
It seemed appropriate that we should be providing children the
opportunity to experience safe and comfortable nights of sleep on this special
day when they are going to enjoy a form
of independence from poor sleeping conditions.:)
Richard for the Kolkata Team
Chennai: Republic Day!
We had today off for a national holiday in India (Republic Day)
celebrating 64 years of Indian independence. We watched some of the
Republic Day parade from our room. It was a major event with military
equipment, marching troops and bands followed by lots and lots of
elaborate floats and bands. We then met up with Jyoti and Dhalat, a
local Rotarian couple that the other SCAW team members had met
previously. They kindly took us for a driving tour of Chennai to show
us areas of the city that we hadn't been to before. We toured areas
with cottage industries that were arranged in a street by street
fashion; one street for textiles, another for car parts, etc. followed
by areas of the old City that had lots of historic buildings with some
magnificent architecture. We had a short stop at the Marina Beach.
It's a huge beach with some small fishing boats nestled in the sand
overlooking the Bay of Bengal and the large freighter ships plying it's
waters. There were not many people on the beach and we were told that
it is used more in the early morning and evening when it is not so hot.
Also, the sea floor drops off quite quickly and there are undertows
that make swimming here risky.
We were treated to a fantastic meal at the Cosmopolitan
Club by our lovely Rotarian friends. We started with some Indian
appetizers and a tasty fruit drink and just when we thought the meal was
finished another round of food showed up. Great eats.
Our final stop was a modern new shopping mall that
had 4 floors of stores with a 5 screen movie theatre. Lots of people
here, browsing the stores and escaping the heat. Unlike, home the
parking garage was manned by parking attendants to guide cars to vacant
parking spots and direct you to the exit. In typical Indian fashion,
someone made a wrong turn and got all the way to the exit before they
discovered it. The attendants stopped the exit lines, shifted some cars
around and had the errant driver reverse out of line and back into the
garage. Traffic then started flowing through the exit again. There's
always something to talk about when it comes to travelling the roadways
in India.
We had a nice day off and are planning our next distribution tomorrow, it'll be back to work in the morning.
Dennis for Team Chennai 2013
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
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.
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.
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.
Laurie-Beth and John for Team Chennai 2013
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Kolkata: Distribution 4!
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.
J C
Tremblay for Team Kolkata 2013
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.
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.
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Kolkata: The Strength of Numbers
Asansol: The Strength of Numbers
As the SCAW
Kolkata 2013 Team wrapped up their 2nd 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.