Belgaum: A Day Off

Today is a much earned day off after 8 distributions done; 900 bedkits to go, in 2 distributions.  It has been a busy week of leaving Belgaum daily going to 8 different sites, driving north, east, west and south from Belgaum.  We are now getting familiar with the highways and road.  The many sights along the roads of people, farms, cows, and homes are still of interest.  We never lose the urge to take just one more picture of a child or family.  Even at the distribution cameras are always at the ready. We don't want to miss one memory.  Today is a day off to relax.  We are going sight seeing and shopping.


We drive an hour out of Belgaum to visit an ancient Shri Temple in the village of Hashi. It was built 800-1000 years ago.  A guide in the temple the different gods and statues.  The includes a statue of a pig's head with a human body.  The statues are very detailed with cravings   The temple is maintained by a young man who has taken over the responsibilities that his father had previously.  Children and adults from the local school come in and pray and light candles.

We stop for coffee at a friend of bus driver's home.  It is an neat old building with many bedrooms and beautiful wooden doors.


We head back to Belgaum to go to a big market. On a Saturday the market is buzzing, lots of people.  Anything you want to buy from spices, clothing, fruits, vegetables, shoes, purses, etc are available.  There are streets and streets of these market stalls

Our first stop is at the gold and silver store to get some "bling".  We move on to the candy store for some sweets to take home.  We are given generous samples of the goodies.  We stop at the copper shop and buy some copper jugs. Hope they will fit in the luggage.  Next some cashews for which India is known for.

Time to call it a day, money is getting low and so we take a quick trip in a Rickshaw that gets us safely back to the hotel with time to relax before dinner.   A good day off.

Team Belgaum 2015
Post your comments here:

Belgaum: Celebrating a Wonderful Relationship!

After a very successful distribution of 1,000 bedkits, the SCAW travelling team was invited by the Belgaum Rotary Club to attend their Friday evening meeting. The club President, Sharad Pai, gave us a warm welcome and dedicated a major portion of the meeting to talk about SCAW and the 27-year relationship that the club has enjoyed with the Canadian charity. The Belgaum SCAW Trust President, Dilip Chitnis, and its Secretary, Sanjay Kulkarni, spoke in glowing terms about all that SCAW has done for the children of India and challenged the Rotarians to 'open their hands' to donate bedkits. President Sharad stated that his club was passionate and dedicated in its support of SCAW and would continue to 'reach out to the unreached'. Many of Rotarians stated that they are more than willing to donate, so Secretary Sanjay stated that he is willing to work with SCAW Canada to find a way that they can donated and still get a tax break in India. This would be a major step forward in SCAW's relationship with its OVPs (Overseas Volunteer Partners) in India. 

This year's Belgaum Distribution Chairman, Basavaraj (Basu) Vibhuti, then thanked the many volunteers who helped make today's distribution the success that it was. Basu had been working since November to organize the distribution. In comparison, our jobs are relatively easy and enjoyable when we arrive to take pictures of the children and hand out the bedkits. 

The Rotary Club's President Sharad Pai then made a special announcement to the SCAW team and Rotary members. He and his wife, Padmaja, invited all of us to celebrate and bless the marriage of his son Chetin to Pooja Potnis by attending it on the 28th of February. A couple of the SCAW team members were pleased to tell President Sharad that they were going to change their plans in order to attend the wedding, which pleased him greatly. 

After the meeting, the Rotary Club hosted the SCAW team to a delicious buffet dinner. It gave them an opportunity to say farewell and thank you to Bill Sergeant for his leadership of the SCAW team for the past few years. They also asked that he and Duncan Macgregor come back to Belgaum at some point in the future. Bill said that he will miss the friends that he has made in Belgaum, but would love to see them at some point in the future, either in Canada or back here in Belgaum.

Team Belgaum 2015
Post your comments here:

Belgaum: Belgaum Distribution!

When we arrived at the Belgaum distribution...we were in awe of the system they are using to keep all things organized.  They have been blessed with a donation of buses that transport the kids back and forth.  This is very helpful when you have 1000 eager kids and parents waiting.  They also brought the kids in shifts  (9:00am and 12:00pm) so that no one was waiting too long.  The Belgaum Rotary club has had a donation from family that also donates all the food for each child.  This makes the whole experience a positive one for the child.  

The Rotarians have been very organized and I have the highest respect for the amount of time they put into a distribution.  They personally interview the children, purchase the items locally, they attend every site distribution. Planning this day happens all year round!  We only arrive really on their final day and truly enjoy the moments with the children.

Sue Orr on behalf of Team Belgaum 2015

Post your comments here:

Belgaum: Bailhongal

If this is Thursday, it must be Bailhongal and a 300 kit distribution. We left the hotel  at 8:15 but for some reason the traffic was not as heavy as usual and we made it to Bailhongal ahead of time. Still many children were there and sitting under large canopy.

We were greeted with warm handshakes and again presented with roses.

We started off with a tour of the facility seeing first the location where the children would be served a breakfast. Then we went through the route they would follow to pick up their clothing, have the photo taken and finally get the actual Bedkit. All looked good.

Then it was down to the canopy area to show the children the contents of the bedkit. Loud cheers greeted each item. Pamela brought her marionette CAMEL out and entertained the children while we set up the photo area.

It is amazing to see the different reactions of the children having there photo taken. Some have the biggest grins while others sit stern-faced through the entire process. Some will break into a smile then shyly cover up and if the picture was not captured at the right moment we are out of luck.

We had the help of many Rotarians and their wives as well as many Cadets. There help was very much appreciated.

Following the distribution we get to play the star roll. We are wanted by all for photos. We join a group and then are not sure which of the 20 or so cameras to look at. We are treated as very special people and it is wonderful to be honoured in this way.

When we finally got moving toward our bus the most important picture of the day was requested - several children who had received bed kits rushed up to us asking to have a picture with us.

We then went to a hotel owned by one of the Rotarians for a delicious lunch. Returning to our hotel by  4:30. We may be ready for a light supper at 7;30

Team Belgaum 2015
Post your comments here:

Belgaum: Gobak

We left for Gokak at 8:15 for a distribution of 200 bedkits at a school. The country side had many interesting spots. We passed a cotton factory, textile factory, an abandoned sugar cane factory, a spot that we dubbed "India's Grand Canyon" and a huge dam.

The children were all seated on the floor, girls on one side, boys on the other, in one classroom, when we arrived. Cathy and I entertained the children while the rest of the team set up the "SCAW circuit". We showed them our bubbles and a hand puppet. So as not to frighten them, one needs to be extremely gentle in presenting and approaching these children with a puppet. Some of the children sang songs to us. I wish you in Canada could have heard their cheers when we showed them the individual items in the bedkits. They were spontaneous and very appreciative. These children are poor! Yesterday I told a parent and some hotel management students the cost of one kit. They were flabbergasted at the generosity of Canadians.

After the distribution, the Gokak Rotarians treated us to a lunch of sandwiches, fruit and homemade cocoa cake. Delicious!

It was suggested that we visit the local temple and a local Shiva festival. We met up with recipients at the temple who were there to thank their goddess for their gifts from SCAW. The temple is built to honour the goddess "Laxmi" who protects their town.

On to the festival, which was held at a second larger temple. This temple had a swing bridge, built the British, crossing the Ghatprabha River, beside it. We were escorted past the hundreds of people going to the temple and blessed by receiving a yellow dot on our forehead. Today is Ash Wednesday.

The people are always thrilled to see "white people" and to see their own image in our cameras. We were elbow To elbow with crowds of people at the festival and felt perfectly safe.

 
Tonight we went to a recommended restaurant close to our hotel and celebrated an early surprise birthday for Lorna. The restaurant presented her with special packages of candy. A wonderful finish to another great day in India.

Pamela Horricks for Team Belgaum 2015
Post your comments here:

Belgaum: Ramdurg

I left the hotel at 7:45 am for the 2 1/5 hour drive to Ramdurg. The drive through the country was mainly valleys and farms. Sugar cane is the big crop. We pass trucks, bicycles, motorcycles and oxen carts loaded with stalks of sugar cane, as much as they can hold.  They are delivered to the nearby sugar refinery. It is a big business employing 6000 people. The stalks are pressed to remove the fluid. The remaining husks are chopped into saw dust and made into blocks to burn for heat.

We arrive at the distribution site at 10:30 am and am welcomed by he Rotary Club of Ramdurg with roses. The children and parents have already been waiting 1 1/5 hours.  There is an air of excitement. We enter the school to meet the children's who receive the bedkits. We show the children the contents of the kit. They are very excited by the school books and supplies. One thing that is scarce for the children is toys, no "wii" games or computers to play.   The only toy I saw was a boy rolling a tire along with a stick. We play a few action games and sing with the children. Few of them speak English but respond to the action games enthusiastically. They are happy to,play catch and blow bubbles. The children are nervous about hand puppets having never seen one before.

The distribution area has been well organized by the Rotary Club with a few minor changes we start taking the pictures and giving out the bedkits. The distribution went well. The temperature was 35 degrees. The children needed a little prompting to smile and some start giggling.  It is all so strange and new. I'm sure the donors from Canada will be happy to see their gift has improved the life of a child.

We load up the van and drive to a nearby hotel for lunch with the Rotary Club. We try several Indian dishes that were delicious but too hard to name.

The trip back to the hotel is quiet. We're all tired from the distribution but we enjoyed every minute, seeing the happy children and parents walking away with their bedkits.

Lorna Hedger for Team Belgaum 2015
Post your comments here:

Belgaum: A Double Distribution Day!

The SCAW Belgaum team did double duty today with distributions at Harugeri and Ugar. Both were well organized and a joy to be part of.

When we arrived at the morning distribution at Harugeri, we were greeted joyfully by the 300 children and their parents as we stepped off the bus. We were introduced to the children by Dr. P, the distribution chairman, who explained to them where we came from and why. We then took out the bedkit items to show the children and they applauded each one more than the one before. It was more than they could dream of receiving. After the distribution, about 30 children and their families stayed behind while the teachers of the school that hosted the distribution honoured us by presenting us with garlands of flowers. It was their way of saying thank you for making a difference in the children's lives.

We then drove north-west along roads that were filled with ox carts or wagons loaded with sugar cane. It was all heading to the Ugar Sugar Factory, where the next distribution took place. The owners, Prakar and Smita Shirgaokar, greeted us warmly with a garland of Indonesian Cherries as well as bouquets of them. They also put on a delicious luncheon for us with special table decorations to welcome the SCAW team. The Ladies Club from the Ugar Sugar Factory choose to wear green saris this year as they helped us with the distribution, as seen in the attached picture. Smita and Prakar, our gracious hosts, then asked us to present a bouquet to the distribution organizer in honour of the tremendous job that he did. The distribution was one of the more relaxing and enjoyable ones that we did.

Team Belgaum 2015

Post your comments here:

Belgaum: Nipani!

Today began with a scooter ride on the back of Manju's (our driver's) scooter to the shopping area to visit the luggage store where Manju works.  Sue, Lorna and Irwin followed in a motorized rickshaw.  We also visited Raju's (Rotarian) jewelry store but the prices there defied any major purchases by the group.  Scooter ride home for Lorna, lunch and into the van to head north to Nipani.

What a different experience from the distribution in Athani.  Talk about organized. Tons of Rotary, Inner Wheel (women's equivalent to Rotary) and Rotractors (college age men) buzzing around the place getting things done.  I mean actually getting things done!.  We handed out 500 kits in about 3 hours, phenomenally faster than yesterday.

Sue conducted interviews today and one mother told her she works at a factory where she makes 60-80 Rupees /day rolling up to 1000 cigarette like things.  That's $1.60 / day when her production is at its best.  So many people struggling in this country as there are no social nets whatsoever,

Early start tomorrow for what will certainly be a long day as we have 2 distributions.

Namaste!

Team Belgaum 2015

Belgaum: Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentines Day from Team Belgaum!

We began our day with a 7:30 start...it was a 3 hour drive and the roadways were most interesting.  We passed countless tractors and oxen carrying loads of sugar cane.  Our driver Manganet is fearless!

Apron our arrival it took some time for set up but once we were in the system it all worked out well. The bed kits have many supplies and all great quality. The colour of the dresses stands out and all the children are so happy. The site also had some challenges with the local pigs coming in but that adds to ambience to the day. We had a lovely lunch/supper with the local tea and some of the crew from the Belgaum team.

We arrived home at 8:30pm...our drive back was exciting with the added danger of sundown.  It's always an adventure in India!

Sue Orr on behalf of Team Belgaum 2015
Post your comments here:

Belgaum: Friday the 13th!

Nothing untoward has happened to the team today. Friday the 13th has been a wonderful experience.

We started the morning by visiting 2 houses of recipients of bedkits last year. Both families graciously invited us in to see there homes and expressed gratitude for the kits. When asked what was the best item in last years kit they were hesitant to distinguish one item over another as all items were important but the backpack seemed to get some special recognition perhaps for the additional school supplies it contained. The first homes were extremely dark - the only light entering through the front and back doors. The home contained four families housed in a row of four rooms. We were visiting the front unit which also contained the communal kitchen. The recipient from last year saw our need for light and went to a back room and brought a bright LED flashlight which then gave us a much better view of his home. The kitchen seemed to have good collection of stainless steel eating and cooking utensils and a 2 burner gas burner. The floor is compacted dirt. Life was sparse but they seemed very happy with their situation and very proud of their children.

Moving to the next house I was struck by the contrast created by the microwave cell tower just beyond the home we were visiting. Still very dark but electricity was available as was cable TV. We saw no evidence of either in the home.

From these houses we drove back into Belgaum to visit a knitting works which produces School Uniforms for the bed kits. We were greeted as VIP’s and presented with roses upon arrival. It was very interesting seeing the mechanized looms compared to the hand loom. Bill was telling us that they have modernized much of there production during the last few years and now only have one hand loom working where a couple of years ago they had 6. Workers also seem to have a much better working period from 9:30 to 6 with an hour for lunch.

Then we were off to the tailor shop where much of the other clothing for the children was produced by six sewing machine operators. Again the VIP treatment roses and drinks during our stay and a good showing of the materials being presented to the children.

We arrived back at the Hotel had a late lunch and prepared for the pre distribution meeting.

The predistribution meeting went very well. We met the Rotarians of the SCAW trust and went over the distribution procedures, locations and material. we followed this with great food and conversation. They are truly a wonderful group who work extremely hard to see that all goes smoothly. It now approaching midnight and we have to be ready for a distribution tomorrow at 7:30 so I will sign off

Team Belgaum 2015
Post your comments here:

Belgaum: Rotary Pool Visit

This evening the team went to visit The Belgaum Swimmers Club which practices out of a pool the Belgaum Rotary supports. The city run pool was about to close when the Rotary stepped in to support the program  The team coach introduced us to a number of the Clubs decorated athletes. The club has produced a number of champions at the international level, as well it has trained a swimmer who completed a swim across The English Channel.

They also have an amazing program for blind children. One of the girls from that program, totally blind, jumped off the high diving board for us. The program is hugely successful.  The Rotary Club even provides transportation for swimmers and evening practice is followed by dinner for everyone.  Amazing work!!

Team Belgaum 2015
Post your comments here:

Belgaum: Leaving Mumbai

Today we left Mumbai.  We will have many memories of that city.  Such a mixture of beautiful and ugly and bad.

The good, most of the people we met were friendly, polite and happy.  The city is colourful with the beautiful array of colour of their saris.  It is good with the patience and driving skills of many taxis, motorized rickshaws and cars that abound in the downtown. Sometimes 4-5 cars driving along in a 2-3 lane road weaving in and out of the traffic, passing other cars with just 1" to,spare, but in 3 days travelling around the area we saw no accidents .  The business of the streets; hundreds of people bustling around, crossing the roads at their own parrel, darting between cars, rickshaws, push carts, wagons, and buses.

The bad is the numbers of beggars on the street and the large slum area throughout the city among the new high rises.  We are told the city is working on programs for youth employment programs. Many of them are working under poor employment conditions, living in large dormitories.

There is the beautiful history side of Mumbai with many old temples, shrines, caves from 1000 years ago with statues that are still colourful. These caves were built by hand and we wonder how it could be done.  Even today with our sophisticated diggers and equipment it would be a challenge .

We found a quiet temple pool in the city where people bath to wash their sins away while quietly people pray and partake of religious ceremonies on the stairs around the pool. Just so many memories.

Today is Thursday and we leave for Belgaum.  I had a little hitch with my visa which took some time to correct but all worked out.  We left on time and even arrived early, met by our Rotary Partners, Dillip and Sandjay for a ride to the hotel. We are away from the bustling city and with quiet green farmlands, with cows going down the centre of the street.  Today is a day off, we will visit a newly renovated Rotary pool, have dinner and relax tonight.

Lorna Hedger for Team Belgaum 2015
Post your comments here:

Belgaum: Mumbai Tour

Amin, our tour guide and former bedkit recipient, took us on a whirlwind tour of Mumbai.  We visited the house where Ghandi lived, a market which included fruits, vegetables, birds and kitchen gadgets.  We had a vegetarian lunch, went to the Victoria Train Station, a cloth market, a large open area where laundry is done, stopped at a camera shop and a shop that sold pashminas.

Walking through these places and crossing the busy streets was incredibly exciting.  The train station was so noisy one couldn't hear the trains because of people talking and yet in the middle of all of this confusion, two women sat on the floor facing each other chatting!  The people who work in the markets selling, live and sleep right there.  We spotted a man sleeping in one of his large baskets.  The vegetarian restaurant where we ate lunch employs 180 people.  They have many staffrooms where 20 or more of the workers sleep each night.  These workers send their earnings back home to their villages.  The streets are crammed 4 cars wide then further stuffed with motorized rickshaws.  We lost Sue at one point as we were crossing a street because she hesitated for a split second about stepping forward into traffic.  She yelled to get our attention but couldn't be heard over the sound of the horns.  Amin nicknamed himself "Coffee With Milk" because at each crossing he'd grab Lorna's hand to get her across with our pack.

Tomorrow we're flying to Belgaum.

Pam Horricks for Team Belgaum 2015
Post your comments here:

Belgaum: Touring Kanheri Caves with Amin

We had a good day touring with Amin Sheikh today, a long time friend of SCAW and previous bedkit recipient, even with the 33*C heat and humidity. He took us up to the Kanheri Caves National Park north of the city to see the 1,100 year old Buddhist caves. This time, we walked way up the hills to the highest level of caves and then he showed us where the Tibetan Monks still come to worship up there. There were a lot of their prayer flags tied to the trees and two large rectangular basins carved out the rock where they could immerse themselves during the rainy season. He then took us to a roadside vegetarian restaurant for lunch where we sampled various types of the local dishes and ate with our hands. It was quite the experience, especially when a truck drove through the restaurant while we were eating. The restaurant is hosting a large wedding and reception this evening, so the truck had brought a lot of the things to set up for it. 

We then went to Snehasadan orphanage that Amin belonged to when he was young. We were given a tour of House #7 and met some of the current orphans, including one young boy who is a promising soccer star. They showed us where they cooked, ate, showered and slept. They all sleep on mats on the floor in one big room, but are thankful for that. We also met the new headmaster of Snehasadan, Father Noel, a young Jesuit priest, who took time to welcome us there.

Team Belgaum 2015
Post your comments here:

Belgaum: The Team has Arrived!

The rest of the members of Belgaum Travelling Team have arrived safely in India. While they were flying over, the advanced party had a good day today touring the southern area of Mumbai. 

To start the day, the staff the HMATC restaurant recognized Bill from last year and gave us great table service. The locals who were eating there were wondering why we were getting the special treatment.

We went to the Gates of India to catch a ferry to Elephanta Island. A young Indian man approached us at the ticket selling area for Elephanta Island to tell us that the Caves were closed on Mondays. He wanted to sell us tickets for the boat ride to and from the island, but since the caves were closed, he took us on a tour of the Gates of India and then to the Taj Mahal Hotel to look around and do some shopping. The one jewelry store have an exquisite butterfly broach made by hand with rubies, emeralds, diamond chips and other stones. It was tempting but we passed on it.

We then went 'shopping' through the sidewalk vendors. They all had ''deals' for us and wanted our business. We eventually made it to the Kala Gouda arts festival. It had some very unique artistic displays that they put a lot of thought into. By one oçlock we were starting to feel hungry so we ate at the Kyber Restaurant. We had a delicious assortment of various Indian foods and the atmosphere of the restaurant was special. It made for a good impression with the team.

This evening we met Neelesh and Judy Suchak, part of our SCAW Mumbai  Overseas' Volunteer Partners team welcomed us at the HMATC with some flowers and chocolates. It was good to see them again. They have not changed at all and are just as helpful as ever. Bill's looking forward to seeing them on the 25th when he returns to Mumbai.

Team Belgaum 2015
Post your comments here:

Belgaum: The Team is on their Way

The Belgaum Travelling Team has departed Toronto enroute to Mumbai. Bill, Irwin, Lorna and Pamela will be followed there shortly by Sue and Cathy. The warm temperatures of India will be a welcome relief to the team after the snow that they experienced before leaving Toronto.

Team Belgaum 2015
Post your comments here:

Belgaum 2015: Post Your Comments Here

As a courtesy, please add your name to the end of your comment.

Chennai: The Rotarians’ Celebration

The Rotary Club of Chennai had a lot to be proud of today. We distributed the 100, 000^th bed kit for them.  What a moment and what an experience! This club has been an active participant with SCAW for 29 years. Not only did they celebrate the one hundred thousandth bed kit but they also began counting again with the next child.  Photos were taken and new T-shirts distributed to all the Rotarians and our SCAW team.  The young girls who received the kits beamed broad smiles as their photos were taken alone and with their families and the Rotarians.  The whole day was one to which we were glad to be a part.

Team Chennai 2015

Post your comments here:

Chennai: Remembering Murray Dryden

February 1 we did a distribution at a large school in Tiruvallur.   As we gathered, Ravi, the head of SCAW for the Chennai distribution, shared that Murray Dryden died 11 years ago on that day. Ravi requested a minute of silence to remember and honour Murray for his commitment to needy children in the world. In that moment, Ravi also spoke with gratitude for SCAW’S connection to India. Having Judy Dryden with us made the silence more poignant. Our hearts softened as tears silently slipped down her face. The last greatest act of love is to grieve our losses. Murray is remembered and held in a place of love and admiration.

Murray Dryden

As the Rotarians, SCAW team, and the multitude of volunteers bowed their heads in respect, a solitary bird sang a melody in tune with the background hum of traffic drifting over the school's wall.  Excited children's voices trickled in. Murray had a vision so many years ago.  A vision carried forward by his family and volunteers. He would have been so proud to know that, this year, the 100,000th Chennai bedkit is to be delivered in Ambattur this week.  Over 1,000,000 children sleep better.  Over 1,000,000 children have received an otherwise unattainable gift.  Over 1,000,000 children have experienced hope for a new, exciting day. All because one man had a vision.

Donna Chantler for Team Chennai

Post your comments here:

Chennai: Factory Visits

During our travel day to Yercaud we had many fascinating opportunities to visit some of the factories that produce the items for our bed kits.  We saw mosquito nets, mattresses, T-shirts and ground covers being made.  The owners of the factories proudly showed us around and gave us food (mostly bananas) and drink (water and pop). These factories were small and efficient. There were no conveyor belts but they all had their specialty and they work quickly, passing the work down the table to the next person in the chain. (Do you ever wonder what became of your old sewing machine?  We think we saw a few of them here and you will be pleased to know the machines are running very well to this day.)

The Indian people do not smile during photos but they certainly grin broadly when shown the results on a camera.  In lieu of more words here are some photos of the factories that we visited.

Team Chennai 2015

Post your comments here: