Belgaum: Predistribution!

Pre scaw distribution activities;

 Prior to the scaw distribution we were invited to visit a preschool in the outskirts of Mumbai by a colleague of the team members.

We visited two schools which were located in the slums. The conditions were very poor.   Regardless of the conditions, the brightness in the children's eyes and their excitement to see us and show us their progress was very touching.  ‎This visit gave us an idea on how our efforts with SCAW were also going to make a very important impact on the children in Belgaum.

Scaw predistribution;

We all arrived in Belgaum and were picked up by Manju, our trusted driver who brought us to our hotel.

We freshened up and headed off to the predistribution meeting to meet the trustees of the Belgaum scaw distribution.

The agenda was to make introductions and discuss the distribution logistics.  The bedkit was viewed and the process for the distribution was reviewed by all in attendance.

The team members were very impressed by the number and quality of items in the bedkit . It was mentioned by the rotarians that the retail value of the bedkits exceeded the 35 dollars due to the excellent negotiations skills and bulk buying by the rotarians.

After the formalities of the predistribution we got to know each other better while enjoying the wonderful Indian cuisine.

We retired after a long but incredibly motivating day.

Team Belgaum 2016

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Belgaum: The Team Has Arrived!

The very best special Belgaum distribution!

Well we have arrived...all via different routes; Mike and Kate, Jen and Clark - Vancouver thru Beijing to Mumbai and Sue, Warren and Diane - Toronto via London to Mumbai.

The team is made up of six Raymond James employees plus the CEO of Raymond James, Paul, his wife Rose and Sue, the team leader of Belgaum distribution.

Special? Yes...the RJ Team have raised the entire amount for the 3000 bedkits that will be distributed.

Everyone is so excited to be here and can't wait to meet the children and see their sparkling eyes and big smiles.

The sights and sounds of India are a bit overwhelming at first, loud, bright, chaotic but we will all get used to it quickly.

All of us want to thank SCAW for this wonderful opportunity to be here, to help these beautiful children and to continue Murray's dream...stay tuned for our daily blogs

Very Best Special Belgaum team 2016

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Chennai: Leaving Puducherry

Tuesday, January 26th, is Republic Day in India. The weekend celebrations were akin to our Canada Day weekend.  It was also an off day for the SCAW Team in Chennai as we said goodbye to Puducherry.  In the morning, we visited Auroville which is a place that has been transformed from a barren plateau to a lush green landscape in which a city is beginning to take shape (www.aroville.org).

After lunch and a stroll along the ocean front in Puducherry, we began our journey back to the Chennai area. As we got close to Chennai, we had the opportunity to visit homes of flood victims in two locations. The first village received about 30 bedkits and the flood level reached the knees of the inhabitants. 

The second village area flooded to above waist levels and there were over 150 recipients of bedkits from this village area.  There is still a lot of water in evidence even now.  The sightseeing at Auroville and Punducherry was very nice, but seeing the place where the children live and seeing the children who had received the bedkits with their families was very special.

Our partners, The Rotary Club of Ambattur is a very special group of people.  They consider themselves to be a "project" club.  Three important ongoing projects are SCAW, their hospital, and their school.  But that's not all!

After the floods, they set up Medical Clinics with 100 doctors volunteering their time to provide medicine primarily for Rat Fever and ointment for cracks in the feet.  They serviced over 6,500 people at 8 clinics while also getting ready for the SCAW distribution to 5,000 children.  We are blessed to be amongst these very giving people who share their hearts with others.

Team Chennai 2016
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Chennai: Puducherry

For those of you who have seen The movie the Life of Pi, the movie was filmed on the Bengal Bay by Puducherry (Pondicherry). Puducherry is on the south west side of India. Congratulations to our “Puducherrian” Rotarian for successfully hosting the very first SCAW distribution in this area today. The children were very appreciative.

There was a new first for me too. All 500 bed kits had to be moved from their storage at the back of the meeting hall to the outside parking lot. A human chain moved that mountain of bedkits first before we could even hand them out to the children. 

There was great excitement when the “Minister” of the area came in support of the project. His political status gave a huge boost to our project for the children under his watchful eye.

 Many highschool girls Red Cross Junior Helpers, had the opportunity to help too. Our team  monitored each station as they honoured their duties perfectly. 

Thank you Rotary Club of Puducherry for joining the SCAW family of distribution sites. Your efforts are well appreciated by the children in your neighbourhood.

Marg for Team Chennai 2016

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Kolkata: Purulia

Today's distribution highlighted how needy the children are in this area.  Many arrived in bare feet, but welcomed the food and drinking water that was supplied by the Rotarians in Purulia.

After their lunch, the children washed their feet and put on their new shoes from the bedkit.  It actually became hot for the first time since we arrived and the children were able to remove their fleece jackets and we were able to see all the colourful dresses and smart shirts that they were wearing.

Some of these children had been up very early to get to us on time.  One little boy told us that he had walked 2 kilometers to school to get on a bus (with his class mates and teacher) to travel the 70 kilometers to our distribution.  He then would have to repeat that to get home!

Team Kolkata 2016
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Chennai: Kilpauk

Today is Republic Day in India, a holiday to recognize the day that India's Constitution came into effect on January 26, 1950.  For our SCAW team it meant a quieter day driving to our distribution site at Kilpauk.

The children were already dressed in their new clothes and eagerly awaited our arrival at the high school.  Many parents were also present.  We spent some time showing the children what would be in their bundled-up bedkit.  So many giggles from the kids as item after item was comically displayed by our leader asleep under the covers and the mosquito net!  

We gave out 528 bedkits and the big grins and sparkling eyes of the children surely indicated every child's thrill to hold onto their very own bedkit  filled with so many new treasures.  Although most of the children do not speak much English, they are eager to practice "Thank you" or "Thanks".  On receiving her bedkit today, one eight year old child looked at me so sincerely and said very quickly, "Thank you, you're welcome, how are you, you're cute!"  We both got the giggles and shared a special moment before she proudly left for home.

Mid afternoon we left Chennai for a three hour trip to  Puducherry, located further south on the east coast of India.  Along with our hardworking Rotary Club hosts, we will be doing a distribution there tomorrow.  

Patti Jones for Team Chennai 2016

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Kolkata: Sonamukhi

Today was great. The venue was perfectly prepared and the children were organized and very cheerful. We set up in 20 minutes and our Rotarian partners had many children fed, dressed and waiting in line. Without volunteers we would not be able to handle the volume of kids. We finished up in 4 hours and celebrated with a mini banquet provided by the local Rotarians with all the volunteers of the day. We are on the road again.

Team Kolkata 2016

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Chennai: Tiruvallur

Our SCAW team got to sleep in today!  Up and on the road for 6:30am so we could get ahead of the chaotic Chennai traffic and on our way to Tiruvallur which is about an hour and a half from our hotel.  We had breakfast en route with some of our Rotary partners and learned the traditional Indian way to cool our hot tea. 

On arrival at the local high school in Tiruvallur,  we were greeted with garlands and warm welcomes.  We set up for the bedkit distribution in the school's courtyard.  It began to rain so we moved everything in doors and got underway with lots of smiling, happy kids. 

The rain stopped so we moved outdoors again and carried on giving out more bedkits to more happy kids. 

Throughout all of this, we were very fortunate to have the enthusiastic assistance of numerous students from the high school.

Just imagine 581 smiling kids with bedkits heading home today -- that's the joy of SCAW!

Patti and Dennis for Team Chennai 2016
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Belgaum: On Our Way!

Our journey to India has begun and we’re sitting at YVR waiting to board the big plane. We had a great conversation with the cab driver, Raju, who happens to be from Punjab, India, and I think that Kate may have recruited him as a future SCAW volunteer. He was very excited at the possibility. His fluency in Hindi would be a huge benefit on a distribution I would think because my two words, namaste and challo, won't get me too far.

Now boarding!!!

Team Belgaum 2016 

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Kolkata: Distribution 5 - Durgapur

The SCAW team had one whole moment of rest while this photo was taken, before our distribution started.  For a moment, we were clean, neat and tidy.  It sure didn't last for long...!

Team Kolkata 2016
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Chennai: Nellore!

An early morning start (6;00 and still dark). As we drive north just inland from the Bay of Bengal, the fog and mist are just starting to burn off to reveal the lush green rice paddies and bamboo plantations. After a great breakfast with our Rotarian hosts, we get down to work (it’s not really work, it’s fun).

We are greeted by our local volunteers, the students from the school we are using, to help us. The children who have been selected for the bedkits are arriving from the needier areas and lining up for the process- sizing, posing, photographing, and receiving their bedkits. With a king sized smile they carry their treasure to their parents and they sit down together for lunch. After lunch, under the watchful eyes of  the Guardians of The Gate (AKA the sacred cows), they pack themselves and their gear into their vehicles and head for home. They will sleep well tonight!   

Wayne Cooper for Team Chennai 

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Kolkata: Distribution 4 - Kamarhati

Namaskar:

We had a great day!  571 very happy children received their bedkits.  It was a glorious, cloudless, warm day and the Rotarians in this club were ultra efficient and very mindful about providing food and drinks for the children and their parents while they were waiting.

Don was doing the interviews with the parents, finding out what they thought about the gift they received.  They were all overwhelmed.  All the families were exceedingly poor and most slept on the dirt floor in their homes. The donation of the mattress and blanket would make a huge difference as they have no heat in their homes, and the temperature at this time is very cold, for them.

We are off to bed early tonight as we will be leaving the hotel at 6.30 on a 3-day road trip to the west of Kolkata tomorrow.

Shuberateri  (Goodnight)

Team Kolkata 2016
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Chennai: Bedkit Bloopers!

Early morning rising and long van rides can lead to "mis-takes” of the bed kit photos. Can you find the mistakes in these pictures?

Team Chennai 2016

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Kolkata: Day 2 - Distribution 3 - Jadurhati

Namaskar:

What a delight it was to have a change of pace and do today's distribution in a rural area.  Mother Nature gave us a beautiful day : no rain, warm breezes and a wonderful site by the water.  Some of our photos will include a local friendly dog who curled up for a snooze in the middle of the shoot!  He obviously approved of the proceedings as he slept with us throughout most of the day.

4 ladies worked a very long day co-ordinating the identification and verification of which child would receive a bedkit. (See attached photo) A team of volunteers assisted in helping the children change into their SCAW clothing and all went so smoothly.

A special photo connected students in Canada with the children at our distribution today.  Ray Lawson Public School in Brampton Ontario had a fundraiser and donated money for 35 bedkits for the children.  We loved the approach of "from the children, for the children" and in the photo the Indian children say thank you.

All the children today were excited to shake our hands, and thank us, in English for their gift of a bedkit.  

Front row, L to R.  - Addy Closson, Don Bell, Karen Bridgman-Acker, Back row - Peggy Morrison, Judy Owens, Lynette Jenkins, Judy Dryden, Team Leader

All in all - a GREAT day!

Team Kolkata 2016

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Kolkata: Day 1 - Distribution 1!

Namaskar:

We did 2 distributions in the middle of Kolkata today with rain causing a total change in the afternoon distribution site.  We managed to do the photography under a canopy, thereby keeping the children and the camera equipment dry.  The children looked so colourful in their fleece jackets - a necessity, as it is still quite cool here!

We were grateful to the Rotarians and other volunteers who ensured that both distributions went as smoothly as they did.

Team Kolkata
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Chennai: Off And Running!

Our SCAW Team’s first day of distribution was held at the Jaigopal Garodia Vivekananda Viyalaya Private School in Avadi.  The school grounds were a perfect place to look after the 682 children who were bussed into the school from outside the area to receive their bedkits.

The SCAW Team made up of experienced travelling volunteers took little time to set up and take the pictures of the children.

But, this article is focused on the volunteers who helped the Rotary Club of Ambattur and the SCAW Team.  These wonderful volunteers were attendees of the school and were in their teens.  Their commitment throughout the day was outstanding and the smiles of the children receiving the bedkits were a direct result of the efforts of these young people.  In addition, a number of the teachers were involved and made the communication with the children much more effective.

Our hats are off to our fellow volunteers seen in the photos that follow! 682 children were blessed today and we were blessed to be a part of this wonderful example of young people helping others.

SCAW Team Chennai 2016
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Chennai: The Team Has Arrived!

We’re on a journey.  So much has happened in the last 24 hours. First the sunset taken in my 5 minute window of opportunity near Bagdad. Check out the mountains below.

Then after landing in Dubai and spending quality time there, In the airport that acts like a city we arrived in Chennai at 4AM in the morning to be warmly welcomed, and blessed with decorations. Look how many greeters were there to meet us so early in the morning. 

Only 8 hours in the country we are rested have successfully ventured to the closest ATM machine. 

Today only 24 hours later was very special with lots of laughs. What a treat to visit Thiru an original member of the Rotary Club when the distributions first came to Chennai. He was a friend of Murray Dryden so long ago and has attended a distribution every year since.

Winding our way, no slogging our way through the traffic, we witnessed a well oiled machine of happy people working in the packing facility. Your donations service the cottage industry  here and some 250 families gain employment from making all the items in the bedkit.

 We even took a  hand at trying to pack a kit, however we decided our strength was in distributing them to the children.

Marg Garrett for Team Chennai 2016
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Pune: Our Final Distribution!

Our final distribution and another successful rewarding yet marathon 15 hour day!

The long drive over rough and winding roads revealed the agrarian Pune area with fields of sugarcane interspersed with crops of corn, grain, and mixed vegetables,farmed with labour intensive methods.

Our driver maneuvered the switchbacks through the foothills of the Ghat Mountains;the Sahyaeri Hills provided impressive scenery, with the stark arid rolling hills contrasting with the lush green fields below. We appreciated the fresher air as we ascended to the higher altitude.

Upon our arrival at Mhaswadi , we were again greeted by enthusiastic crowds. Our welcome included: the wrapping of our heads with the ceremonial pheta,the blessing with tikka application to our foreheads, the art of mehendi (meticulous henna drawings on our forearms and hands, and rangoli (the skillful welcome painted on the ground in front of us. Our transportation through town was an upgrade of a tractor pulling the honoured SCAW guests in a wagon, led by a lively children's marching band. Upon entering the gate, we were impressed by the Senior Men's troupe and the beautifully attired young dancers who entertained us.

Under the patient competent guidance of our leader Karen, the distribution of 900 bedkits was a smooth operation thanks to the pleasant, caring, and efficient SCAW team members and the Rotarians and volunteers who embraced their duties.Upon completion of the final bedkit exchange, we celebrated the success of the operation with a meaningful group hug, and were then treated to a traditional festive meal by the friendly teachers.

Although the descent to Pune was rather tiring and adventuresome, we certainly felt the pride of the SCAW team's efforts, and were most thankful to the many donors who provide volunteers with such an unique opportunity.Indeed our greatest reward is the delightful smiles of the young children and the many expressions of sincere gratitude from the recipients and their parents--a wonderful heartwarming experience for all members of the SCAW Pune team!!

Anne Mac Donald for Team Pune 2016
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