Chennai: India's Republic Day
January 26th is India's Republic Day. after gaining independence from
Britain, in 1947 India's constitution was ratified and India officially
became a Republic in 1950. We were invited to be the honored guests to a
celebration at Ambattur School which the
Rotarians established. A beautiful Rangoli greeted us a the gated
entrance. A Rangoli is colorful design on the side walk made from
colored powder. Upon entering the grounds we were greeted by a girls
band and given ceremonial paint and a rose. We were then given a tour
and a brief history of the school. With much fan fare we were escorted
onto the stage where the ceremonies began.
We then were given a flower garland and a flag of India to wear during the ceremony. Sue was invited to raise the flag and then as she unfurled the flag she was showered with rose petals. The students marched past the flag, saluting it, and then took their places for the ceremony. We were entertained by cultural dancing and an interesting depiction of India's journey to Independence. This included three children portraying Mother India, Nehru, and Ghandi.
This was a wonderful send off for our train ride to Trichy and our next distribution.
Team Chennai 2014
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Kenya: Update
The Kenya team called to report as they have no wifi.
They distributed 700 bedkits today. Some were at an orphanage. They had an opportunity to visit homes were bedkits were received.
Team Kenya 2014
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Kolkata: Midnapur
Midnapur was supposed to be a trip from Kolkata, but the wise Rotarians learned that there was going to be a political rally, with what turned out to be 1.5 million people. So we left our distribution on Wednesday and booked into the hotel near Midnapur. A delightful time with our Rotarians in the hotel garden looking at the stars and sharing pokura before dinner and then a good sleep. The result was a quick trip to Midnapur the next morning.Some unique features of our day. Being in a different region of India, we found the approach to things to be different. More chaotic and loud, not due to disorganization, but just a cultural difference. In the midst of the chaos, we saw something that was unique for a distribution. Each child was asked to speak his or her name into the microphone just before receiving their bedkit as a way to connect with their parent/guardian/teacher. Usually a Rotarian does this. A nice touch.
In contrast to loud speakers and voices was a wonderful cultural ceremony to start the day. A group of seven young girls played out what appeared to be an historical dance reflecting on the glory of India. This was followed by a charming dance by a classically trained teenage girl who was beautiful and graceful beyond belief. She had had been training for 13 years and was possibly going places because of her grace and sparkling movements.
Another unique dimension of the day was the fact that many of the children had been bused in on Rotary-sponsored buses with the Rotary/SCAW banner proudly displayed on each bus. The implication was that we were seeing the underprivileged of the underprivileged. Midnapur is a poor town and children came from even poor villages. Some children were overwhelmed by it all, especially when they were separated even for a few minutes from their friends. We carried teary kids to the head of the line so that they could reconnect. We were also told that some of the children might have been overwhelmed because “we were a lot of everything”. White, tall, broad, speaking a different language, lively.
The team as usual had fun. Warren has become the team tattoo artist with his black and red markers turning bare arms into Maple Leaf Canadian flags; drivers, helpers, team members included. Not going to turn into a second career since this is the only tattoo he can do.A wonderful meal at the end of the distribution featuring regional dishes and then on the road back to Kolkata. Wish us luck getting through the political rally!
We did get back without delay except that we had two close shaves – Don and Warren had Indian shaves with a straight razor and all. We were a bit worried when the barber said a brief prayer before he started!
Team Kolkata 2014
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Mumbai: Farewell and Thanks to our Mumbai Overseas Volunteer Partners
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| (L-R) Shivakha and Apura Shah, Monika and Bill Sergeant, Sandy Riches, Rajnikant Reshamwala, Margaret Crossling, Neelesh Suchak, Anne MacDonald, Mary-Jo Lang, and Bipin Barot at Bipin’s country home after the Post-Distribution Meeting in Karjat, India. |
The five distributions in Dahanu, Palghar, Wada, Dombivali, and Karjat went well due to the great organisation and detailed preparations by our Overseas Volunteer Partners (OVP). There are so many aspects to each distribution that need careful planning and diligent oversight by our OVPs. Rajnikant Resham, Apurva Shaw and Neelesh Suchak have spent numerous hours working with 25 of the Rotary Clubs of the Mumbai District 3140, providing them with orientation briefings, making trips to survey the proposed distribution sites, and reviewing their plans and preparations for each distribution. They also oversaw the reception and packing of the bedkits to ensure that each one contained the proper items.
At each distribution, one or more of these key OVPs was present to assist our travelling team with setting up the bedkit for the pictures, greeting the children, showing them the bedkit items that they were about to receive, instructing the local volunteers about we needed them to do, and then extending their hospitality to us at a refreshing meal.
All of their efforts were very much appreciated by each member of the team. Without them, SCAW and its donors would not be able to reach out and help the 2,000 children in Maharashtra province, each of whom went home from the distributions with a great big smile of their face.
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| Dipak, Rajnikant Reshamwala, Neelesh Suchak, Bipin Barot, Bill Sergeant and Balu. |
In closing, we want to say a heartfelt thank you to our OVPs and the many Rotary volunteers in the Mumbai area.
From Bill Sergeant and the SCAW Travelling Team Mumbai 2014
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Mumbai: Wonderful Helpers
We were most
fortunate to have a wonderful driver accompany the team during our 5 day
Mumbai area distribution. He assumed
several roles and accommodated our many requests and needs, always with his
warm smile, bright eyes, and pleasant disposition. Ballu weaved his way
skillfully through the congested Mumbai traffic, and picked his path carefully
driving cross country over severe potholes, road construction, ditches, and
around gravel piles, lane barriers, and cows. At each site he automatically
unloaded and loaded the equipment, assisted team members to perform their
duties, as well as encouraging each group of children to pose properly and
smile for the photos. Ballu was most gracious, positive, and accommodating, and
his smile was infectious. As we prepare to leave the Mumbai site, we will
remember his kindness and we will miss his presence.
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Chennai: Train
Today actually started in our minds with an almost 6 hour train trip
from Chennai to Trichy. This was a typical Indian train and most of us
approached this trip with some degree of apprehension. We were met by
many of our friends from Rotary and they had arranged reserved seating
in one of the few air conditioned coaches. We arrived in Trichy, around 9:30 pm and were taken to the hotel. We enjoyed a typical Indian dinner at the restaurant there and then off to bed. Monday
morning was beautiful and following breakfast we set off to our venue
for the day and prepared to make the lives of 728 children much better.
This was a very busy distribution and we had the help of many of our
Rotarian friends from the local Clubs to accomplish our goals for the
day. All of the children were happy and excited to receive such
wonderful gifts from the generous donors back home.
Team Chennai 2014
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Kolkata: Ganggadharpur
As we turn down the road approaching our site location at Gangadharpur
this morning we are once again greeted by wild monkeys. As we close in
on our destination it is evident that we cannot get the van down the
narrow streets, as they are delivering the bedkits by small utility
vehicles.We are greeted by the children as they waited in line for their hot meal. Although it is 25 degrees and we are in tank tops, parents and children are dressed warmly with heavy sweaters, jackets, toques and scarves. After their meal, the children head to get changed into their new clothes. We set up the interview sessions today and find that a school of 150 has been given 5 bedkits which they have decided to give to their neediest families. To receive this gift they hired a driver to bring them the 150 km they needed to travel. The teacher tells us that this is well worth it!
During the distribution both Deb and Joan had a gramma come up to them to thank them for the bedkit...she hugged the stuffing out of both of them in gratitude. ... returning to Deb about 1/2 hr later to once again give her another hug... She is VERY pleased with their gift.
After the completion of the distribution we had the opportunity to walk to the neighbouring village which is home to about 100. We went to see a few homes who received a bedkit today, and a family who received one 3 years ago. They still cherish and use the bedkit daily, and were proud to show it to us in their home.
We completed our visit by watching a few individuals hand stitch and decorate some sarees which were absolutely gorgeous!
The children were sad to see us leave after receiving Canadian pencils, balls and harmonicas.
Another great day in India!
Team Kolkata 2014
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Mumbai: Thank You
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Sandy Riches, Monika Sergeant, Margaret
Crossing, Bill Sergeant, Mary Jo Lang,
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We have completed the Mumbai portion of our
distribution and will now proceed to Belgaum.
In the meantime we have a day or so of “pause” in which we will see more
of “Incredible India”.
The distribution has gone very well and
both Indians and Canadians are very happy.
The happiest of all of course are the beautiful Indian children.
Thank you donors for your generosity.
Mary Jo Lang for Team Mumbai 2014
Kenya: A Wonderful Day Three!!
Today we distributed 600 bedkits at the Kayole Primary School in
Nairobi; a school with 3000 students.
The classrooms have between 80 and 90 children in them! When we walked by the classes the children were very quiet working on assignments or listening to their teacher. We had lots of helpers today, many of them were Girl Scouts and other students from the school.
The children were all so polite, well behaved and eager to see what all the excitement was about. Their smiles were unbelievably cute. What beautiful children.
Today was the first day we took a photo of 100 children. The result exceeded our expectation.
It was a very special day for team member Ken as he was able to be part of the photo with the 30 bedkits that he donated.
Team Kenya 2014
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| Brenda Porter with the world in her hands |
The classrooms have between 80 and 90 children in them! When we walked by the classes the children were very quiet working on assignments or listening to their teacher. We had lots of helpers today, many of them were Girl Scouts and other students from the school.
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| Scout helpers and children |
The children were all so polite, well behaved and eager to see what all the excitement was about. Their smiles were unbelievably cute. What beautiful children.
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| Happy children |
Today was the first day we took a photo of 100 children. The result exceeded our expectation.
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| Bob Barclay working hard as usual |
It was a very special day for team member Ken as he was able to be part of the photo with the 30 bedkits that he donated.
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| Ken Graham and his children |
Team Kenya 2014
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Kenya: Our Second Day!
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| Friends from the Rotary Club |
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| Happy children with bedkits |
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| Ken Graham handing out bedkits |
Team Kenya 2014
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Kolkata: Road Warriors!!
How long does it take to drive 100 km? 2 hr? 3 hr? 4.5 hr? … yes, 4.5 hours!
We had a long drive to the distribution site this morning
due to road conditions – broken vehicles, pot holes about 14 inches deep, road
construction, fallen trees at the roadside, emergency vehicles, etc. We saw it all – but upon arriving at our
distribution site we were enthusiastic to start another day!
We set up our photo site in the stadium – it was very
spacious. Today we chose a backdrop of a
flatbed bike with some plants – a good choice, until parents, cows, and even a
very large, wild long tailed monkey crossed the path of the photo shoot!
It was gratifying to see so many special needs children in
line for our gifts. We had blind,
mentally and physically challenged children smile the biggest smiles for us
today – all very happy to receive your gift of a bedkit. Thank you for permitting us to do this
distribution on your behalf – every day we share this wonderful experience –
words cannot express our feelings and emotions.
550 children will sleep well tonight in Krishnanagar City
and area.
We thanked our Overseas Volunteer Organization for their hospitality and lunch and then
loaded the van for the road trip back into Kolkata …. Which we did in a scant 3
hours …. Till tomorrow …
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Kenya: The Team Has Arrived!
Team Kenya has finally arrived in Kenya! After a along flight, the team arrived in Nairobi airport at 11:00 p.m.
excited but a little weary. We were greeted by our driver Charles and
soon after by Gideon with big smiles and warm greetings. We are so glad
to be here!Team Kenya
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Kolkata: Resourcefulness!!
Coming from an environment in which we have separate items
or devices available to serve our every need, it is refreshing to see how
resourceful people can be in using one thing for many purposes. A simple item
such as an umbrella comes in very handy during the rainy season to shelter a
child from the rain on the way to school or to cover over a leaky part of the
roof. In the summer it shields the intense rays of the sun. Or turn it upside
down and one can carry home produce from the market. Cow dung patties are
placed on trees, sticks or metal plates to dry in the sun and are later used
for fuel. Small clay pots are used to
serve tea then are tossed on the ground and crushed into the earth. Brooms are
made from long pieces of straw bound together.
On site resourcefulness: We work together with a new group
of Rotarians and volunteers at a new location each day; where we determine the
ideal spot to take photos, to gather the children and determine the traffic
flow towards the bedkit distribution area. At the photo area set up makes use
of various items such as Sarees, planters and even bicycles to create a
suitable backdrop that is reflective of the site.
Resourcefulness and transportation: With many of the families
living only kilometers away from the distribution site, the child could set out
on foot to the distribution site while the parents continued to work for as
long as possible before cycling to the site. After the distribution was
complete, the Bedkit was strapped to the bicycle and transported home by the parent
with the child following soon after on foot.
The SCAW team and many of the Rotarians travelled for many hours to get to the site. Choosing the best route to avoid the traffic as much as possible can be tricky. Avoiding the main routes requires travelling on narrow roads through multiple villages and occasional railway crossings. The SCAW team came up with many innovative and entertaining ways to pass the hours on the road. The team got to know each other better and had an amazing connection with local people who were also caught in the Republic Day traffic. We danced in our seats to music from a nearby truck filled with passengers. Soon the teens on the bus joined us, as the passengers of buses and cars around us smiled and laughed. A break dancer joined in from the side of the road to take the entertainment up a notch. Soon the traffic began to thin out as we made it back to the hotel at 7:42pm and ended another amazing distribution day.
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Kenya: A Special First Day!
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| Children in Kenya |
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| Jean Pierre Hamelin handing out bedkits |
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| Evan Lockhart handing out bedkits |
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| Wanda Hamelin- the finger marker |
Kolkata: Day of Rest
For those of you who have been following our blog, you will have
noticed that we have been travelling up to 6 or 7 hours each day to and
from our distribution sites. Today the short duration of our trip hit
us all and we decided to make the most of our time here by packing in as
much as we could. After greeting our lovely bus driver Amit and
presenting him with an honourary Canadian toque, we headed off for the
Birla Temple in the downtown core of Kolkata. The drive from our hotel
to the centre took almost two hours today! After a tour of this
beautiful temple we decided to make a return visit to Mother Theresa's
Mission of Charity orphanage to see if this time the children were
awake. To our great fortune we arrived just on time and had an escorted
tour with one of the sisters. We arrived in time to join in with the
children singing their morning songs, our favourite was the wheels on
the bus! We also had time to visit the physically and developmentally
challenged children as they were having their breakfast. As we were
entering the orphanage some of us had the pleasure of chatting with a
German nun who first joined the mission 50 years ago. She is still just
as passionate about serving the poor of Kolkata as we are sure she was
all those years ago.
We then packed in lunch and a trip to three factory suppliers for
the bedkits, where we were warmly greeted. Of special interest to our
team was the cottage industry of 5-10 women who used foot or hand pedal
sewing machines to stitch together the bedsheets and pillowcases in the
bed kits. When we visited the factory which supplies the t-shirts and
the sandal factory the owners expressed such joy at being chosen to
provide items for the bedkit.
We finished off the day driving through All-Market! This area of
Kolkata is filled with wholesale fruit, vegetables and nearly any other
item that you can imagine! While we have seen streets crowded with
cars, buses, trucks and rickshaws, the human crush of these market
streets was so different and an incredible experience for all of us.
Luckily we were contained in the fishbowl like atmosphere of our van,
ably navigating the streets with our driver Amit.
Our well deserved rest will happen this evening when our heads hit the pillow, as tomorrow we begin on the road once again headed off on the distribution trail.
Team Kolkata 2014
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Mumbai: This is for You!!
The Mumbai/Belgaum trip 2014 is my second distribution in India for SCAW. Again, I am struck by the friendliness of our hosts, the work they have done in preparation for our visit, and their hospitality.
So far, we have had three distributions, the first in Dahanu under the shade of an enormous banyan tree. The colourfully dressed youngsters in their new SCAW clothing entertained us with singing, while Mary Jo also had them enjoying fun activities.
In Palghar, at a school supported by the Bombay Airport Rotary club, we were led to the site by marching girls and drumming boys. We were shown around the school where the Rotarians are constantly improving the facilities. A place to be proud of.
Today in Wada, we met 480 children sitting patiently in the shade, then led forward in groups for their photo. We met many Muslim children, all were happy and whispered thank you when I gave them the bedkit. One of our Rotarian friends taught me how to say “This is for you” in Marathi. I confess that looking at their sweet faces was very emotional.
There is a soft spot in my heart for India. Every day brings new surprises and amazement. Incredible India indeed!
Margaret Crossling for Team Mumbai 2014
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So far, we have had three distributions, the first in Dahanu under the shade of an enormous banyan tree. The colourfully dressed youngsters in their new SCAW clothing entertained us with singing, while Mary Jo also had them enjoying fun activities.
In Palghar, at a school supported by the Bombay Airport Rotary club, we were led to the site by marching girls and drumming boys. We were shown around the school where the Rotarians are constantly improving the facilities. A place to be proud of.
Today in Wada, we met 480 children sitting patiently in the shade, then led forward in groups for their photo. We met many Muslim children, all were happy and whispered thank you when I gave them the bedkit. One of our Rotarian friends taught me how to say “This is for you” in Marathi. I confess that looking at their sweet faces was very emotional.
There is a soft spot in my heart for India. Every day brings new surprises and amazement. Incredible India indeed!
Margaret Crossling for Team Mumbai 2014
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Kenya: Our First Day
Today was Team Kenya's first day in Kenya and it turned out to be a very eventful day. It started off with a cup of coffee after breakfast with one of the Rotary Club members and then over to the Village Market to do our banking. After the trip to the bank we needed to try the local Gelato - which was great.
Next on the agenda was a visit to two cottage industries where bedkit sweaters and backpacks are manufactured.
It was gratifying to see SCAW's funds helping the small industries. Our
afternoon included a visit to the massive warehouse where the bedkits are stored. Everything was organized for the distributions. The journey took us past many of the sites in Nairobi. It certainly is a city of contrasts.
We returned to our lodge for a pre-distribution meeting and then over to a Rotarian's house for a small reception.
Looking forward to tomorrow's first distribution.
Team Kenya 2014.
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Kolkata: Sudhir Memorial School, Doltala
Good news! We only
had to travel 10 km to our Day 7 distribution which gave us the opportunity to
distribute 800 bedkits. The flavor of
the day was different as we were drawing on children in the Kolkata area, more
city than rural.
Team member impressions gathered over a wonderful lunch
after the distribution:
We love you Deba.
Deba works with the Rotary Club of Dum Dum and a jack of all
trades. He works with us and could not
be more attentive. One night he saw
Wendy and Kathleen enjoying pomegranates and sure enough the next day on our
snack table were pomegranates and a knife.
We are learning to eat Bengali food properly. Rice with vegetable dishes first, then
followed by meat, then sweets. The order
is important to keeping the system healthy.
We also learned that the date soaked dessert balls are to be squeezed to
firm up the dessert and to make them less sweet. We are starting to get the knack of eating
with our fingers.
Gratitude. There was
something about the sense of gratitude that was different from our more rural
experiences. We can’t quite put our
fingers on it, but immense gratitude was shown.
Many blessings to us, gentle nomaskars, and touching of our feet.
Needy. These children
were needy. During our family surveys,
one father was asked if the bedkit would allow him to buy more food for the
family, since he wouldn’t have to buy blankets, books, etc. His most touching reply was that it didn’t
matter since he didn’t have any money.
Fun. We had fun as a
team. A few of us ended up with Maple
Leaf felt pen tattoos on our arms, as did Deba and our driver Amit. And
of course we had fun with the children. They really liked Wendy hula
hooping.
Overwhelmed. We had
around half a dozen young ones overwhelmed by the whole process, tears and
all. We moved them to the front of the
line to receive their bedkits. It was a
combination of not knowing what was going on, and not knowing that their
parent/guardian would be there to meet them after they received their bedkit.
Support. The school
provided many helpers, many of them Rotary Interacts. We saw the future of India in these wonderful
helpers.
On to Day 8 …
Team Kolkata 2014
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Kolkata: Jadurhati and Bashirhat
Today was unusual in that we
were involved in two different distributions within 24 hours. The bonus
of this was that we enjoyed both second breakfast and lunch provided by
our wonderful hosts. The second breakfast was particularly interesting
as it was finished up with the treat of a local delicacy, date palm
molasses, somewhat similar to our Canadian maple syrup. At both of our
sites today we were overwhelmed by the reception that we received by our
adult hosts as well as the children. They seemed amazed by our
appearance and presence in their town.
This morning's distribution site was organized differently so we
had time to enjoy shaking the hands of the children and giving high
fives all along the line of patiently waiting children and their
guardians. This was the first time that a distribution has been held in
this community and as such, our hosts were particularly grateful for
the opportunity. Our team was particularly impacted by the story of one
mother who had recently lost her husband and had no way of earning an
income. She and her son were overwhelmed by the generosity of our
donors, and how this bedkit will improve the quality of life for this
family.
We travelled two hours further east , nearly to the border with
Bangladesh, for our second distribution of the day. Driving through the
many communities on our way to the distribution many of the team
members commented on the bustling market areas of each town. The sense
of community carried over to the distribution with many local volunteers
observing and assisting. The enthusiasm of the children at this site
was particularly memorable, with their requests for an encore
performance of head and shoulders. We were warmed by the fact that four
young girls who missed the first distribution of the day were
transported to the second site so that they could still receive the gift
of their bedkit. Kathleen and Debbie were the recipients of enormous
hugs as these young girls showed their appreciation.
What a day!!!
Team Kolkata 2014