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Under the Shade of the Mango Tree
Bonjour mes amis.
Today is the Togo’s Independence Day and a fitting way to end our 5,000 bedkit distribution.
Under the shade of a fabulous mango tree we did our last setup for the photo shoot and ended with a group photo of the entire AED and SCAW team.
Bonjour mes amis!
Today was the hottest and most humid so far. After 2 long detours because of preparations for the Togo Independence Day celebrations on Sunday, April 27, we arrived in Djamakondji for our 8th delivery.
We were swarmed by extremely enthusiastic throngs of children. Hijabs were prevalent indicating that we were in a predominantly Muslim area. While we were busy, so was a team of construction workers building 4 new classrooms.
We are very grateful for the members of Team Togo, who have worked consistently to have the kids organized. Energetic volunteer, Affi, always leads the rousing songs and chants. Koffi showed the bedkits items and 500 young people cheered spontaneously, especially when the mosquito net was held up.
We recorded video of different aspects of the distribution, but regrettably have been unable to post them because of internet challenges.
Stay tuned…
Bon soir de Team Togo.
Today was the hottest and most humid so far. After 2 long detours because of preparations for the Togo Independence Day celebrations on Sunday, April 27, we arrived in Djamakondji for our 8th delivery.
We are very grateful for the members of Team Togo, who have worked consistently to have the kids organized. Energetic volunteer, Affi, always leads the rousing songs and chants. Koffi showed the bedkits items and 500 young people cheered spontaneously, especially when the mosquito net was held up.
Stay tuned…
Bon soir de Team Togo.
Bonjour mes amis:
“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times” in Adjakpa.
If we had thought it was hot yesterday, it was hotter today. Torrential rains yesterday upped the humidity level without reducing the temperature and we all felt it. But it was great for the children as we were able to distribute another 500 bedkits in this village in the western region of Togo. There was major highway construction (which added to the dust/mud on the road). The Chinese have won the contract for doing this work and it has offered increased employment for the Togolese.
As part of the fun we had with the children, Doug did his famous “bubble-blowing act.” You have to see the picture of one of the most spectacular ”catches” of the day!
Our team of eleven was on the way home and had just passed the toll booth when our van was side-swiped by a car. A spectacular “BANG” had us all with our hearts in our mouths! Fortunately, we were not hurt at all and when Team Togo checked the van, the damage was not as bad as we had thought. The other driver did not stop, so OUR drive, Mensah, turned the van around and chased after the other car. We caught up with him at the toll booth and the local gendarmes were called over to investigate. The next two hours were spent with the team visiting the local Gendarmerie and giving our report. We departed with the local chief of police wearing a Canadian pin saluting us on our way!
Sadly, tomorrow is our final distribution, and we head home to Canada at 11 o’clock tomorrow night.
Bon soir, Team Togo
“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times” in Adjakpa.
As part of the fun we had with the children, Doug did his famous “bubble-blowing act.” You have to see the picture of one of the most spectacular ”catches” of the day!
Bon soir, Team Togo
Bonjour mes amis!
Team Togo will go to any extreme for the perfect picture for the distribution photo. Last night, Wayne spent hours planning and drafting the blueprints for our large group photos. For the first time, we have the Canadian flag and the Togolese flag represented by the children wearing colourful T-shirts. In order to get these panoramic shots, Doug, the photographer, had to perch precariously on a bamboo ladder. Wayne made sure that the operation was done with military precision and efficiency.
To start off the distribution, both teams sang O Canada en francais because French is the national language. This was challenging for the Anglophones so we rehearsed in the van en route to the distribution. (Tomorrow we will be singing the Togolese national anthem).
Creativity was also evident today when Peggy and Dosseh noticed a group of children preparing to leave the site. They were in awe that 25 kids and three adults were packed into a small Toyota.
We visited a cottage industry with 8 seamstresses who made the 5,000 skirts and shorts that were included in the bedkit. Murray Dryden would have been delighted as he really believed in local job creation.
All in all, today was a wonderful day for creating memories.
Bon soir, Team Togo.
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On The Road Again
Bonjour mes amis:
After spending many hours traveling the roads of Togo, hereare some of our sights, sounds, smells and pictures: the succulent aroma of fresh pineapple, bags of charcoal by the side of the road, overloaded conveyances of every type including a bicycle laden with a coffin, palm wine for sale, horse tail whisks (for keeping flies off everything…including the butcher’s best cuts!), little kids at every market and village excited to have their picture taken, pungent smells of spices, red soil everywhere, yam and corn plots, termite hills, a fuss ball table, trees - banana, cassava, mango, avocado, kapok, baobob and palm, Castel beer signs and trucks, the cacophony of busy markets, women carrying “everything” on their heat potholes and last but not least the smell of 'HOT'!
Bon soir de Team Togo
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Bonjour mes amis:
After spending many hours traveling the roads of Togo, hereare some of our sights, sounds, smells and pictures: the succulent aroma of fresh pineapple, bags of charcoal by the side of the road, overloaded conveyances of every type including a bicycle laden with a coffin, palm wine for sale, horse tail whisks (for keeping flies off everything…including the butcher’s best cuts!), little kids at every market and village excited to have their picture taken, pungent smells of spices, red soil everywhere, yam and corn plots, termite hills, a fuss ball table, trees - banana, cassava, mango, avocado, kapok, baobob and palm, Castel beer signs and trucks, the cacophony of busy markets, women carrying “everything” on their heat potholes and last but not least the smell of 'HOT'!
Bon soir de Team Togo
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Bonjour mes amis!
The Teams travel to the distribution sites
in an air-conditioned van with our driver, Mensah, over the fissured roads,
receiving a free “African massage” all the way.
However, most of the families receiving bedkit, arrive by foot, often
barefoot, or pseudo-moto (motorcycle taxi) from the remote villages.
Once again, at this jungle distribution
site, some of the children had walked at least 4 hours to get to us and then
had a 4 hour return walk home, carrying their bedkit on their shoulder and
their mattress on their head. This is
clearly not a hardship as we passed children on our way out with large waves
and dazzling smiles.
As promised, the men from both Teams,
danced to the music provided by the Village band and the ladies collected their
bet. We all loved the one-legged “shiver”
move. When we tried it we wondered if
they were they laughing at us or with us?
Bonjour mes amis!
Yesterday, as it was Easter Sunday, the team was invited to attend, not only an Easter service, but a baptismal service for three children. The church was large to accommodate a choirs of 80, a brass band and and djembe drums of 30 and about 700 people in the congregation. We were so warmly welcomed and the fact that the service was held in Ewe (pronounced, Evey - the local African dialect) was an added bonus. BUT - the music was what made it SO spectacular. The African rhythms for the hymns, choir solos and the procession that led to the giving of the collection, had everyone, including us, "dancing in the aisles". So wonderful to be accepted as a part of the Togolese culture...
Afterwards we went down to the Atlantic Ocean; Ghana to the west, us in Togo in the middle and Benin to the east. We had thunderous breakers on the beach and shrieks of laughter as we got soaked with the incoming waves. We then went back up to the main road and saw a bicycle race sponsored by the local beer company, Castel. 10 ks. per lap and 10 laps for the course. It was hot ( "It's always hot in Africa!") and to see these young men working so hard was exhausting!
National Independence Day is coming and all of downtown Lome is preparing for this very important day. The republic of Togo was formed in 1960 when they gained independence from France. A special treat for us was to be invited into the House of Parliament and were able to see the history of Togo through displays of photos, artifacts, costumes and jewelry. We finished up by actually sitting where President Faure Gnassingbe will be sitting at the celebrations!
Bon Soirée, Team Togo
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Yesterday, as it was Easter Sunday, the team was invited to attend, not only an Easter service, but a baptismal service for three children. The church was large to accommodate a choirs of 80, a brass band and and djembe drums of 30 and about 700 people in the congregation. We were so warmly welcomed and the fact that the service was held in Ewe (pronounced, Evey - the local African dialect) was an added bonus. BUT - the music was what made it SO spectacular. The African rhythms for the hymns, choir solos and the procession that led to the giving of the collection, had everyone, including us, "dancing in the aisles". So wonderful to be accepted as a part of the Togolese culture...
Afterwards we went down to the Atlantic Ocean; Ghana to the west, us in Togo in the middle and Benin to the east. We had thunderous breakers on the beach and shrieks of laughter as we got soaked with the incoming waves. We then went back up to the main road and saw a bicycle race sponsored by the local beer company, Castel. 10 ks. per lap and 10 laps for the course. It was hot ( "It's always hot in Africa!") and to see these young men working so hard was exhausting!
National Independence Day is coming and all of downtown Lome is preparing for this very important day. The republic of Togo was formed in 1960 when they gained independence from France. A special treat for us was to be invited into the House of Parliament and were able to see the history of Togo through displays of photos, artifacts, costumes and jewelry. We finished up by actually sitting where President Faure Gnassingbe will be sitting at the celebrations!
Bon Soirée, Team Togo
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Bonjour mes amis:
IT WAS HOT; 31
degrees with a real feel of 39 degrees!
We went to the east side of Togo Benin
We were greeted with exuberant Togo
The team’s challenge today was to do a
group photo shoot of 430 children.
Thanks to Sherway Gardens Christmas Experience and our intrepid leader
who climbed up a rickety ladder with a wide angle lens to take the photo, we
were successful. The children were sooooo… patient as we tried to organize them
for SCAW’s largest-to-date group photo. Make sure to check out this remarkable,
colorful event.
We ended the day with a wonderful stop
alongside Lake Togo
Our Team
Bonjour mes amis.Halfway done and it has been a blur of bedkits, travel, dust, heat and most importantly 2,500 happy kids. We have a great Sleeping Children team that is after an intensive week together meshing into the daily rhythm of distributions.
Lynette Jenkins is busy every day talking to the kids (in French) as she prepares them for the photo and always at hand is her sidekick, Wally the puppet, who ensures there are always peals of laughter from the children.
Wayne Cooper is clearly enjoying every moment with the kids, the crowds, the Togo experience and the good-natured kidding from the group.
Alice Buchanan and Peggy Morrison are the crowd entertainers and have the kids all joining in on the “warm up” songs.
Sue Orr is enjoying the range of experiences and tasks in a distribution including her first full day taking the photos of the kids with the bedkit.
Tomorrow, Sunday is our day off and the team is looking forward to an Easter Sunday church service, a walk on the beach looking out on the Atlantic and a little time to catch our breath. Whew!
Bon soir de Team Togo et Doug MacDougald
Bonjour mes amis.
Today we were in Wutegble, about an hour and a half from Lome. We were greeted again with beautiful drumming and dancing. Members of the team couldn’t resist joining in. Tomorrow we have a promise from all of the men on the Togolese and Canadian teams that they will be part of the dancing circle.
Many of the children started to walk to the site before dawn in order to receive their bedkits. Some did not have shoes and that shows how important the flip flops are to these families. As well, all of the parents who were interviewed today really appreciated the mosquito net for malaria prevention. Another important item is the school supplies because the parents feel it frees up their money for other household expenses.
We finished the distribution just in time as a torrential storm began and many families faced another walk home carrying the mattresses on their heads in the rain.
A wonderful day with the children from this area!
Bon soir de Team Togo.
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Today we were in Wutegble, about an hour and a half from Lome. We were greeted again with beautiful drumming and dancing. Members of the team couldn’t resist joining in. Tomorrow we have a promise from all of the men on the Togolese and Canadian teams that they will be part of the dancing circle.
We finished the distribution just in time as a torrential storm began and many families faced another walk home carrying the mattresses on their heads in the rain.
Bon soir de Team Togo.
Day 3 at Tsiko
Bonjour mes amis.
We woke to a clear, blue sky day which when we congregated early in the morning on our balcony suggested a very hot and steamy distribution. But to our surprise we found a wonderfully shaded schoolyard for kids, parent and the Sleeping Children Around The World for the Togolese and Canadian team.
As part of our commitment to Sleeping Children’s mission we started some interviews with parents of children receiving bedkits. We want ongoing feedback on bedkit quality and product suitability of the items for the specific country and distribution.
Some of the team is interacting in this distribution almost entirely in French and the rest of are in an impossibly stressful French immersion. It is working!
We visited a village immediately beside the school and we were welcomed, by a family whose child received a bedkit today. They truly are deserving and an item like mosquito net is an essential need. Some of the pictures we posted reflect this home, family and village.
On the return back to Lome we stopped at what we are quite sure is the world’s largest termite hill for a photo op with the three very keen and helpful volunteers, traveling with us.
Bon soir de Team Togo
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Bonjour mes amis.
We woke to a clear, blue sky day which when we congregated early in the morning on our balcony suggested a very hot and steamy distribution. But to our surprise we found a wonderfully shaded schoolyard for kids, parent and the Sleeping Children Around The World for the Togolese and Canadian team.
As part of our commitment to Sleeping Children’s mission we started some interviews with parents of children receiving bedkits. We want ongoing feedback on bedkit quality and product suitability of the items for the specific country and distribution.
1st Day of Distribution
The team was up at 6:30 AM for an early breakfast before we set off for Djigbe (pronounced Digby). It was a delight to travel from the city into the countryside and we were able to purchase mangoes, pineapples, avocados, bananas and plantains for our meal when we got back to Casablanca.
Team Togo arrived safely after 14 hours of flying and 10 hours of waiting and bonding! We were greeted warmly by Laurent, his wife Gladys and a group of strong young men who transported all our belongings to “Casablanca” Apartment , our home-away-from-home in Lome, the capital city of Togo.
Day 1 focused on preparation: we began with a breakfast team meeting; visited the bedkit storage depot at a primary school. (The students are on a 2 week vacation). We had a great photo-op as mothers and their children gathered to collect water at the local tap.
We exchanged our currency in the down-town market area with a colourful character – see photo – with a unique way of doing business. $2 U.S. = 1,000 C.F.A. francs. We received wads of cash, in the confines of our van, while the traffic was whizzing around us and the hawkers were hoping to sell us their “authentic Italian, leather belts” through the window!
Both Lome and Canadian teams then went to the local supermarket to buy our provisions for the next 2 weeks – see us all at the checkout…
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Day 1 focused on preparation: we began with a breakfast team meeting; visited the bedkit storage depot at a primary school. (The students are on a 2 week vacation). We had a great photo-op as mothers and their children gathered to collect water at the local tap.
We exchanged our currency in the down-town market area with a colourful character – see photo – with a unique way of doing business. $2 U.S. = 1,000 C.F.A. francs. We received wads of cash, in the confines of our van, while the traffic was whizzing around us and the hawkers were hoping to sell us their “authentic Italian, leather belts” through the window!
What better way to end our distribution than at the Baguio City SPED Centre. We had driven north to the "City of Pines" winding our way through lush forests as the road zig-zagged to reach the town perched 1400m above sea level.
The climate here tends to be several degrees cooler than further south, making Baguio a retreat for Filipinos wanting to escape the heat and humidity of southern cities.
At the SPED school we were once more warmly greeted by these very special children, as we explained to them that 350 bedkits were being given by us on behalf of their Canadian friends so far away. All the donors would like see was a smile from the children......and did they deliver!
The boy taking home the 6,000th bedkit was overjoyed at the extra attention he received at the end of the day.
One young man made a special trip to the distribution site, as he had received a bedkit in 1984 and wanted us to know that after all these years it was still remembered and appreciated. He is now a computer technician.
As this is our last distribution day, we offer our heartfelt thanks to those very generous donors who make such a difference in 6,000 children's lives.
Team Philippines 2014
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The climate here tends to be several degrees cooler than further south, making Baguio a retreat for Filipinos wanting to escape the heat and humidity of southern cities.
At the SPED school we were once more warmly greeted by these very special children, as we explained to them that 350 bedkits were being given by us on behalf of their Canadian friends so far away. All the donors would like see was a smile from the children......and did they deliver!
The boy taking home the 6,000th bedkit was overjoyed at the extra attention he received at the end of the day.
One young man made a special trip to the distribution site, as he had received a bedkit in 1984 and wanted us to know that after all these years it was still remembered and appreciated. He is now a computer technician.
As this is our last distribution day, we offer our heartfelt thanks to those very generous donors who make such a difference in 6,000 children's lives.
Team Philippines 2014
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We are at the airport and ladened down with as much gear as we can take to Togo. Hockey bags full of medical supplies and of course Sue with a wheelchair, crutches and a walker.
Looking forward (sort of) to a quick 24 hour trip and then 5000 kids!
Team Togo 2014
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Looking forward (sort of) to a quick 24 hour trip and then 5000 kids!
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| From left Lynette Jenkins, Sue Orr, Wayne Cooper, Peggy Morrison, Doug MacDougald, Alice Buchanan |
Team Togo 2014
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Today we began the end of our tour. We provided only 300 bed kits to some wonderful children in Dagupan as we were en route to Baguio some 4 hours north of Manila in a vast mountain range. In fact Baguio sits on a mountain top spilling down the sides to form a fairly large city. Travelling there we witnessed rapidly changing topography from extensive farmlands, to multiple fish farms as we approached Dagupan. The mountains here in the north are magnificent accessed by the Kennon Road named after an American Colonel credited with the construction of the steep and switch backed roadway. We are looking forward to our final distribution in Baguio tomorrow bringing our grand total to 6000 bed kits.
Team Philippines 2014
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Today was our largest distribution day starting with 300 bedkits in Mabalacat. After lunch, provided by the Daughters of Mary Emmaculate, we travelled to Concepcion where 2 consecutive distributions of 300 bed kits each took place in a covered, 4 sided stadium. A rock star welcome, all the families sitting in the stands and their 900 children seated on the floor broke into thunderous applause upon our arrival! Amazing! A successful distribution day completed, we headed back to the hotel at 4:30.
Although it is intensely hot and humid here in Angeles, it did not hamper the smiles, laughter and fun had by all; children, parents, volunteers and team members alike.
We were warmly received at the two sites, Magalang and Angeles, where we handed out a total of 700 bed kits.
Before the photo-shoot in Angeles we were treated to a traditional dance performed by young Igorots: these are members of the Aboriginal peoples of the Philippines.
Needless to say…we were invited to dance with them!
A memorable day!
Tomorrow is a BIG day with three distributions planned….totalling 900 bed kits.
Team Philippines 2014