Tanzania: July 13, 2016
Team Tanzania started the morning with a
tour of the mattress factory, which has been manufacturing the foam mattresses
made for SCAW in Tanzania for 15 years.
The manager gave us a tour where we first saw a staggering pile of 5000
mattresses, colourful and bright, ready for distribution.
We watched the foam for the mattresses be
cut, carried, and piled high, ready to be covered in fabric, after which they
were wrapped in plastic to ensure that the mattresses stay clean and dry
through the night. The company is kindly
storing the mattresses for free in addition to providing transportation to the
distribution sites. The employees
proudly showed us their handiwork and we were able to ask questions and take
pictures.
Following the tour, our team was invited to Mama Wandoa’s home and workshop where the children’s clothes and backpacks are sewn and the bedkits are compiled. Piled high in two rooms are 5000 bedkits, readily waiting for 5000 children who will dream bigger and sleep better thanks to the generous donations through Sleeping Children Around the World.
Sewing machines were electric and manual, some for buttoning, some for serging. We also took a look through a bedkit to see how each item will help each child. Seeing each bedkit ready to go has us all excited to begin the incredible work we know is about to begin.
For the Children
Sri Lanka: Distribution Five!!
Today was another busy day of distributions. We delivered our goal of 700 bedkids very quickly despite the fact that we had brand new army helpers.
Our last image of the day was of about 40 happy children piled into the back of a pick-up truck heading home with their treasures. Their shyness gone, they were 'all smiles', waving and calling out their "good-byes".
Marnie Nelles for Team Sri Lanka 2016
Sri Lanka: Day Four!
Today's distribution was the second day of afternoon starting times. Much of the school and some of the recipients were writing state board exams in the morning. Although the humidity was high with temperatures rising we managed to distribute over 650 bed kits before the sun set at 6:30.
We were very sad this was the last day that our Sri Lankan army helpers were to be with us. Their assistance was an intricate part of our distribution. They enjoyed being with the children and were so gentle.
The finger identification station is a popular spot on the distribution. This is an opportunity for the team members to talk to each child and absorb the beautiful smiles.
The SCAW team members walked along the dykes of the rice paddies to make a home visit of one the days bedkit children. The pathways are very steep and narrow with no apparent pattern. These trails are only part of the route that the seven year child takes each day to school.
John MacDonald for Team Sri Lanka 2016
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Sri Lanka: Interviews!
It was another successful day as we distributed almost 600 bedkits, putting us over the halfway point of our 4,000 target. I had the good fortune to interview the parents of four bedkit recipients to get information that will help us to better understand their circumstances and needs. SCAW will use this information to determine whether we should consider adjusting the contents of future bedkit deliveries in Sri Lanka. Today's parents told us that, while everything in the bedkit is of great value, it is shoes, mosquito nets and school supplies that they see as the most helpful. It is very clear that Sri Lankans place enormous value in education, and some parents told us that a good night's sleep is a vital part of a successful day at school. At the end of the day, we visited the home of a recipient family, which involved a 15 minute walk through a rice paddy, and another 15 minutes back. This is harder than it sounds! The photos are of one family that I interviewed, our rice paddy walk and the home visit. All unforgettable.
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Sri Lanka: Visiting Homes!!
Today we visited two sites and delivered a combined total of 900 bedkits! The team worked very well together and we are all enjoying the friendliness and appreciation the children of Sri Lanka.
We were fortunate to visit the home of one of today's bedkit recipients. We were welcomed into the home by Mother and son, which they shared with the child's Father and three siblings. Seeing the home gave us a real awareness of the need of the family and we know the bedkit will be put to good use.
Thank you donors for your support. We are seeing exactly how it helps these families in Sri Lanka.
Katie Sandiford, Team Leader for Team Sri Lanka 2016
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Sri Lanka: First Day in Pictures!
Today was our first day of distribution, just over 600 bedkits were happily received.
Here are some photos that captured the day.
Photo 1
A few proud teachers
Photo 2
The team at the end of the day, still standing.
Photo 3
The girls looking so beautiful!
Team Sri Lanka 2016
Sri Lanka: The Team Is On Their Way!!
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| David Sloan, John MacDonald, Katie Sandiford, Judy LeFeuvre-Allan, Marnie Nelles and Shelley Herder. |
We're enroute to Sri Lanka tonight with our first distribution happening Saturday. The Team is excited and ready to go!
Team Sri Lanka 2016
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Uganda: It's a Wrap!
With mixed feelings team Uganda completed their last day of distributions. Happy to see the 5000th child receive her bedkit. Sad to see our amazing time here in Uganda come to an end. We were so energized that along with our oversees partners, the Inner Wheel of Kampala, we wished we could keep on going to more sites and give more bedkits. One member said to me “Jan, get more bedkits, let’s keep going. We still have lots of energy”. Working side by side with these ladies has been amazing. The Inner Wheel and Scaw have worked together seamlessly as one team. We can celebrate our accomplishments and know that we have made a difference to the lives of 5000 Ugandan children.
A Special Welcome From the Children!
“ Welcome visitors, Welcome. We have been waiting for you"
Jan Gayman for Team Uganda 2016
Uganda: Visiting an Orphanage!
We visited an orphanage following our successful distribution. It is new with two babies, five toddlers and four little boys ages three to four. It is a large building that can accommodate fifty children. Hoping with all our hearts there will never be that many.
Norma and Susan for the SCAW team Uganda 2016
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Uganda: An Emotional Thank You!
Sleeping children teams interview parents of bedkit recipients, to get feedback on the items and to learn a little of how the family lives. Today I spoke with a grandmother, Vida who is looking after her four grandchildren and her ailing mother.
When asked what she would say to the donor, Vida started to cry. She said "It is a hard burden looking after my four grandchildren who I love dearly, and my mother. I have no one at home to speak to, or to help me, other than God. I pray every day for the strength to carry on. Today my prayers have been answered. My granddaughter will be able to sleep well on her mattress, with a bedsheet and blanket to keep her warm, and a net to protect her from mosquitoes. My granddaughter (Adreen) loves to go to school, and the school supplies will help her. I will pray that the donors will live a long and happy life, and that they will receive many blessings."
Vida then kneeled down and said a prayer, after which we shared a long, quiet hug. It was a special, and an emotional time for everyone. Vida and Adreen then waved goodbye, and grandmother and granddaughter set off carrying their bedkit on their 6 kilometre walk home.
Thank you donors for making this Sleeping Children trip possible. Your gifts are truly making a difference in the lives of 5,000 beautiful Ugandan children.
Ted Swanston for Team Uganda 2016
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When asked what she would say to the donor, Vida started to cry. She said "It is a hard burden looking after my four grandchildren who I love dearly, and my mother. I have no one at home to speak to, or to help me, other than God. I pray every day for the strength to carry on. Today my prayers have been answered. My granddaughter will be able to sleep well on her mattress, with a bedsheet and blanket to keep her warm, and a net to protect her from mosquitoes. My granddaughter (Adreen) loves to go to school, and the school supplies will help her. I will pray that the donors will live a long and happy life, and that they will receive many blessings."
Vida then kneeled down and said a prayer, after which we shared a long, quiet hug. It was a special, and an emotional time for everyone. Vida and Adreen then waved goodbye, and grandmother and granddaughter set off carrying their bedkit on their 6 kilometre walk home.
Thank you donors for making this Sleeping Children trip possible. Your gifts are truly making a difference in the lives of 5,000 beautiful Ugandan children.
Ted Swanston for Team Uganda 2016
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Uganda: Small Gifts!
Mother Teresa once said, "We do no great things, we do small things with great love." Today during a parent interview a mother said that no one had ever given her anything. This is true for so many recipients of bed kits. Such simple gifts become their greatest treasures. We thank the donors from Canada for helping us to enrich the lives of the children of Uganda one bed kit at a time.
Nancy and Jean for Team Uganda 2016
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Uganda: Wonderful Welcomes!
Today our team experienced a wonderful welcome by parents and children at our rural distribution site. They all clapped, sang and danced enthusiastically as our van arrived, and as our team shook hands and mingled with the crowd. The excitement resumed when the SCAW team showed the bedkit items to the crowd, with the loudest cheers for the school supplies and mosquito net. The team then took the pictures of the children and had a special moment giving bedkits to the smiling children.
Carol and Ted Swanston for Team Uganda 2016
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Carol and Ted Swanston for Team Uganda 2016
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Uganda: A Day in the Life of A Ugandan SCAW Member
Today we were up before the sun in order to arrive at our distribution site in good time. As we drove we watched the sun rise on the horizon. Our 4 hour drive took us through Queen Elizabeth park where we saw lots of wildlife. The weariness of our early morning start was completely erased upon arrival at our site as we were greeted by the throngs of children and parents. At the end of the day 444 more children would have a better night's sleep. 
Team Uganda 2016
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Uganda: Full of Adventures!
We started on our journey at 8:00 and our amazing driver Robert lost his driver's licence. Do not fear we stopped at a police station and he was given a temporary oWne. About half an hour in our journey we came across a family of baboons. That made our morning. Lots of laughter and picture taking. On arrival at our site in Fort Royal which was a church compound there was a wedding, a choir practice and a service. Parents and children were very happy to see us with the children singing and dancing for us. Our distribution went very smoothly with the help of all our overseas volunteer.
Norma for Team Uganda 2016
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Philippines: Farewell!
All good things must come to an end…and such is the case with the Sleeping Children Around the World’s 2016 distribution to the Philippines.
Our last day consisted of a 300 bedkit distribution in the morning at San Isidro, with a final 300 bedkits at Bago Bantay. Both sites were situated in Manila which involved a fairly lengthy commute (timewise) through traffic. At San Isidro the children were ready and waiting in the local basketball court, eagerly waving Canadian and Filipino flags. Following brief opening remarks, the singing of both national anthems and we were into photography mode. The flow of children was excellent! A combination of local volunteers and members of SCAW Philippines made for steady, uninterrupted progress.
A typical Filipino lunch of tilapia, rice, fresh pineapple, papaya, yellow melon, and small bananas was generously provided by the local volunteers for both teams.
Then we were off into traffic again to reach Bago Bantay, our last site of a hectic and rewarding two weeks. The massive oak doors of the local church provided an ideal backdrop for the children’s photos.
The final recipient…smiling like so many others before her. A tired but elated team took their places where 5,000 children had sat previously, behind the bedkit at sixteen locations across Luzon.
Our post distribution meeting, an emotional gathering, with the full SCAW Philippines team was held in the evening, where we discussed the success of yet another Philippines distribution. Doctor Ito and his team expressed their gratitude to the many donors in Canada and around the world who made this project possible, and to the Canadian team for their commitment to the children of the Philippines. The Canadian team in turn thanked SCAW Philippines for all their time and effort preparing for the distribution and for their untiring support and generosity to the team during our time here.
Salamat po (respectfully thank you)
Team Philippines 2016
Uganda: My First Distribution Trip!
Today will be our fourth distribution. It is hard to believe I am here in Africa after so much planning and anticipation it has been so much more than I expected - the dancing and clapping as we arrive. The shy smiles as the children receive their bed kits. The dusty bumpy roads as we travel the amazing organization and care of the Inner Wheel ladies and the support and encouragement of the team from Canada.
Team Uganda 2016
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