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Today was a rest day for the team. We were treated to a most unique and
memorable city tour by Jatin and Raj, two of the Pune Rotarians with whom we
are partnering with for the distribution.
The first stop was the Gandhi memorial (Aga Khan Palace). Stepping out of the car and onto the grounds,
we left the noise and hustle and bustle of the city behind us to find ourselves
in a tranquil oasis. Neelam, our guide,
whose father was a headmaster at the school and has spent most of her life connected
to the memorial shared Gandhi’s history and teachings with us.
From there, we travelled narrow city streets lined with
stalls to see one of India’s dying traditions; the communal washing of
clothes. En route back to our hotel, we
again witnessed every possible form of conveyance on the city streets. Traffic ground to a halt at a major
intersection to safely navigate around the sacred cow that had decided to join
the traffic.
We concluded the day with dinner at a local fish
restaurant. It’s off to bed for us now
as we are up early tomorrow morning to travel about 3 hours to reach our
distribution site.
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Our distribution site for today is nestled in a valley
surrounded by a chain of beautiful mountains. It’s a scenic vista but for some
of our families living in the more remote and isolated parts of this region, it
meant that they would have a very long day. One mother told me that she and her
two children walked for three hours to be part of this special day of
celebration as we were welcoming close to 1000 students from 45 different rural
schools. Once her family picked up the two bedkits, they had another 3 hour
trek back home to their mountain hut. This mother was overwhelmed with the
number of items in the bedkits and was grateful that we were willing to help
her children. Her story is one of many that have touched the hearts of our team
members. 
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Another amazing day full of exciting experiences! The SCAW
Team all had a
Susan Hick for Team Pune 2013
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Pune Time and Weather
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turban wrapped on our heads, and then got to ride on a bull-cart
which was great! The children put on an
excellent singing and dancing performance with beautiful costumes and music.
Afterwards when we gave the children their bedkits, the smiles just warmed my
heart. What an incredible feeling in this faraway special place! Susan Hick for Team Pune 2013
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After a fantastic evening of hospitality at the home of our
partner Rotarians, we felt very connected with our overseas partners and this
set the tone for today’s distribution.
We arrived at the village to find over 900 children and their parents
waiting patiently for us, oxen cart decorated and ready to parade us into
town. We were brought into the site
amidst dancing and singing, music and celebration, an abundance of music and
colour and joy. We were still reflecting
tonight how great it was to see the excitement in the eyes of the children when
they saw the $35 gift of a bedkit; their excitement mirrored ours and we felt very
happy to be here on behalf of our donors.
Pune Team 2013
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From
leaving Toronto at 6pm Friday, to arriving at our hotel in Pune at 9 am
Sunday, the team has been in great spirits knowing that this is the
start of our 5000 bedkit distribution. Good
thing we prepared our team to "expect the unexpected"- our journey got
extended today when the driver got lost on the way to Pune from Mumbai! As
soon as we got off the plane in Mumbai it hit us- the heat, the
humidity, the masses of people, the vibrant chaos even in the middle of
the night. Driving past many people living on the streets we know there
is lots of work for us to do. Tonight we organize with our Rotary
partners, and tomorrow we get to work!
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For our final distribution at the school we actually experienced, finally, normal Kolkata weather. It was very warm for the whole day. The day began with the children receiving a food packet and then sitting down at long tables to enjoy it with the parent that accompanied them. The food was provided by our wonderful Rotarian hosts. It was good to see the children lining up and standing so patiently as they waited for their photos to be taken without seeing them shivering from the unusually cold temperatures.They came fromseveral different areas and definitely were needy children. Many didn't have shoes and as school was not in session, they wore their best outfits rather than school uniforms. Clothing was clean and often they had minimal items on. We knew immediately that they needed the gift of a bedkit. The smiles were huge and handshakes followed every passing out of a bedkit.
It was a delightful ending to our 6500 bedkit distribution. Be assured that tonight 6500 children will be warm in their new beds. Thanks for the opportunity to be with them.
Richard for Team Kolkata 2013
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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
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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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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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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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
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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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
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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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
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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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
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