Mumbai: The Value of a Bedkit
The Value of the Bedkit to the Tribal
Children
After driving four hours north of Mumbai,
we arrived at a country school that was located on the outskirts of
Dahanu. Today was a special day on the
Hindu calendar which honoured their god Ganash.
The children did two dances that related the importance of Ganash in
their lives and presented us with pictures that they had made that told of
local history.
Despite the high heat and humidity, the
children travelled between 35 and 120 kms to attend today’s distribution. The
children were excited to receive the wonderful backpacks and bedkit filled with
schools supplies, a ground sheet, thick mattress blanket, a covering blanket,
clothing, pillow, pillow cover and age appropriate clothing. When the few
parents that were present were interviewed, they said that the bedkit was a
gift that would provide them with an immense boost to their quality of living.
Most earned about 100 Rupees a day, or $2.00 Canadian dollars. One of the local
Rotarian volunteers said that most of the children would not be able to sleep
this evening because of their excitement. They would never have dream of being
given such a lavish gift that would be theirs and theirs alone. We talked with
one person who said that there were 35 members of their extended family living
under their roof.
After driving four hours north of Mumbai,
we arrived at a country school that was located on the outskirts of
Dahanu. Today was a special day on the
Hindu calendar which honoured their god Ganash.
The children did two dances that related the importance of Ganash in
their lives and presented us with pictures that they had made that told of
local history. Despite the high heat and humidity, the
children travelled between 35 and 120 kms to attend today’s distribution. The
children were excited to receive the wonderful backpacks and bedkit filled with
schools supplies, a ground sheet, thick mattress blanket, a covering blanket,
clothing, pillow, pillow cover and age appropriate clothing. When the few
parents that were present were interviewed, they said that the bedkit was a
gift that would provide them with an immense boost to their quality of living.
Most earned about 100 Rupees a day, or $2.00 Canadian dollars. One of the local
Rotarian volunteers said that most of the children would not be able to sleep
this evening because of their excitement. They would never have dream of being
given such a lavish gift that would be theirs and theirs alone. We talked with
one person who said that there were 35 members of their extended family living
under their roof.
It is hard to describe how this sort of
feedback makes us feel as we represent the SCAW donors on this trip. It truly
is an honour and a blessing to be able to experience what we are experiencing
on this trip and know that all that is being done by the many volunteers here
in India is, “for the children”.
Team Mumbai 2013
Mumbai: Karjat
Today we left the hotel In Mumbai at 8AM and drove for
nearly 3 hours to get to the distribution in Karjat. We drove through an ever
changing landscape of cities followed by rural areas and then more cities and
rural areas. Once we reached the mountains and turned off the main road we
drove for half an hour through a rural area that had many signs for new luxury
apartments and resorts that are to be built in this beautiful mountainous
region. We drove through many villages and passed lots of brick works, but did
not see any new luxury highrises
Around 11AM we arrived at the distribution site to find a
shelter set up with more than 400 children sitting in orderly rows waiting for
our arrival. After setting up the area for photographs, we went into the
shelter and were formally welcomed by the Rotarians and then 6 of the girls got
up and sang a song of welcome in Hindi and then 6 more came up and did a dance
number complete with all the Bollywood dance moves that every girl here must
learn at the time when our girls are learning ballet and jazz.
Our distribution went very well. 416 children received their bedkits. The Rotarians on site were a great help in keeping the flow of children moving to the appropriate places.
As this was a rural distribution, we saw the children and bedkits being loaded onto busses and trucks and being driven away smiling and waving. It was wonderful to see how happy they were with the new clothes and all the other items they received today.
Team Mumbai 2013
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Pune: Mission Accomplished!
On the last day of our distribution, smiles were abundant as
the children scampered to receive their bedkits from the SCAW team and our Pune
Rotarian partners. We were especially
fortunate to be supported by eager, enthusiastic, and well-organized student
helpers and teachers from the surrounding schools. As usual, the team was treated to local
hospitality and cooking following the distribution of the bedkits.
We were given a special opportunity to visit a woman devoted
to the education of young girls. For 25
years, her hostel and school have been a safe haven for orphans and daughters
of very poor families living in remote villages. These girls are given the chance for a better
life and a good education. Several of
her ‘daughters’ have gone on to become teachers, doctors and employed in other
professions.
Our mission to deliver 5,000 bedkits over five days has been
accomplished successfully. It touches
our hearts that these children will be getting a good night sleep each night
from now on.
Mumbai: A Tour Behind the Curtain of Bombay
OUR TOUR FROM A PREVIOUS BEDKIT RECIPIENT
This day was an awesome way to learn about Mumbai and all it has to offer. We were picked up this morning by a young man named Amin, who is about 30, and a previous recipient from SCAW. His goal in his words was to
provide us with a tour that shows the "heart of Bombay". For me, this is what he accomplished. Amin dreams of opening a coffee shop to help the orphans who live in his previous orphanage, funding it through his book about his life.
Amin toured us through the devastation of the poorest areas, and the red light districts, which he told us not to photograph. Apparently these areas are controlled by Mafia, and it could create a safety issue. Through this part of the tour, Amin shared parts of his own life, adding a sense of reality to what we were witnessing. He himself growing up on the streets, and in an orphanage. living through very difficult situations.
Also as part of our tour, we were able to see areas of extreme wealth, and the tourist spots such as the festival, and the Gates of India. During our tour, every turn, every street, and building were explained to us. This made the tour awesome due to it being told by someone so passionate about his home. What took 5 hours, seem to be moments, and could have went on for much longer.
The day consisted of tears, smiles, and laughs. It was such an amazing way to begin our distributions. As a first-timer to Mumbai, I will be-able to look at situations, people, and this experience differently.
Thank you to Amin, who so kindly provided us a day with true honesty, and a tour that came directly from your heart. I look forward to reading your book, "Life is Life, I am Because of You".
Kristein Johnson
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This day was an awesome way to learn about Mumbai and all it has to offer. We were picked up this morning by a young man named Amin, who is about 30, and a previous recipient from SCAW. His goal in his words was to
provide us with a tour that shows the "heart of Bombay". For me, this is what he accomplished. Amin dreams of opening a coffee shop to help the orphans who live in his previous orphanage, funding it through his book about his life.
Amin toured us through the devastation of the poorest areas, and the red light districts, which he told us not to photograph. Apparently these areas are controlled by Mafia, and it could create a safety issue. Through this part of the tour, Amin shared parts of his own life, adding a sense of reality to what we were witnessing. He himself growing up on the streets, and in an orphanage. living through very difficult situations.
Also as part of our tour, we were able to see areas of extreme wealth, and the tourist spots such as the festival, and the Gates of India. During our tour, every turn, every street, and building were explained to us. This made the tour awesome due to it being told by someone so passionate about his home. What took 5 hours, seem to be moments, and could have went on for much longer.
The day consisted of tears, smiles, and laughs. It was such an amazing way to begin our distributions. As a first-timer to Mumbai, I will be-able to look at situations, people, and this experience differently.
Thank you to Amin, who so kindly provided us a day with true honesty, and a tour that came directly from your heart. I look forward to reading your book, "Life is Life, I am Because of You".
Kristein Johnson
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Mumbai: Pre Distribution Meeting
The day began with the team meeting for breakfast at the YMCA. After the late night all of us were functioning at less than 100% but we were looking forward to our first taste of fascinating Mumbai. The plan was to meet at noon with for a pre distribution meeting with the Rotary Mumbai SCAW team. After introductions and a productive meeting the entire group travelled through the traffic of Mumbai to the Malabar Hill Club where we were treated to a most enjoyable lunch hosted by Rajni Resham. On our way back to the hotel we made a short visit to the ancient Jainest Temple which was filled with the sound of worshippers singing and chanting and then back to our hotel for the rest of the day. Most of us went for walks in the neighbouring vicinity and especially took note of Mumbai's special symphony of sounds; the periodic call to prayer from the mosque; noisy birds; children's voices; honking horns and construction noise all which are unique to this incredible city.
Helen Scutt & Pat Corlett.
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Helen Scutt & Pat Corlett.
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Mumbai: The Team Has Arrived!
Pat Corlett, Helen Scutt, Jim Howley and Bill Sergeant managed to
get out of Toronto just before the worst of the snow hit on Thurday. We
were delayed until 8:00 pm from taking off due to the de-icing
requirements and landed in Heathrow about 7:30 a.m. so we had a
leisurely wait for our flight to India. We met up with Kristein Johnson
and Allison O'Neil as we were waiting to board our flight in Heathrow,
so all is well.
We arrived in Mumbai 15 minutes early but it still took 90 minutes
to get our luggage and get our of the airport. Murali Iyer's two drivers
picked us up at the airport and drove us to the hotel at 2:30 am. When
we got to the hotel they only had 3 rooms for us instead of 4. Pat
Corlett ended up bunking in with Kristen and Alli, so that worked
out. None of us really slept well during what was left of the night. We
had a quick breakfast this morning and the rest of the team is out
wandering around this area of Mumbai. Lots of traffic, people carrying
their wares in pots and bowls on their heads (including a large fish in
one bowl). The weather is warm, such a change from back home.
We are meeting with the SCAW Mumbai team at noon for our
pre-distribution meeting. We are looking forward to distrbution the
2,000 bedkits in the Mumbai area over the next week before flying
south to meet the Belgaum SCAW OVPs and celebrate their 25th year with
SCAW whilel handing out 5,000 more bedkits.
Bill for Team Mumbai 2013
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Mumbai: Post your comments here
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Pune: Rest Day
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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Pune: Long Days
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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Pune: Smiles
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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Pune: First Distribution
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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Pune: The Team Has Arrived!
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!
Pune 2013: Post Your Comments Here
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Kolkata -Sudhir Memorial School - Final Distribution Day
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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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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