Chennai: A New Experience!!
This was my first distribution and it was an amazing experience. The day started off with a traditional Indian breakfast in Avadi; it was very different to bacon and eggs but was very tasty. As we were setting up the various stations this young girl came over to see what was going on and wanted to have her picture taken. She was an amazing little girl with a great personality and a big smile that would light up any person’s heart.
My job was to hand out the bedkits. Some kids had travelled over 150 km’s and were so grateful to receive it.
The help from the navy cadets and the boy scouts who were on hand to assist us, was amazing and they went about their jobs with a big smile and really enjoyed helping us out.
It was such an unforgettable experience and to complete our day the Rotarians took us to their hospital which assists people that require special health needs and are less fortunate and cannot afford treatments. What a committed and dedicated group of business men they are.
Truly a Fulfilling day!
Team Chennai 2019
Post your comments here:
My job was to hand out the bedkits. Some kids had travelled over 150 km’s and were so grateful to receive it.
The help from the navy cadets and the boy scouts who were on hand to assist us, was amazing and they went about their jobs with a big smile and really enjoyed helping us out.
It was such an unforgettable experience and to complete our day the Rotarians took us to their hospital which assists people that require special health needs and are less fortunate and cannot afford treatments. What a committed and dedicated group of business men they are.
Truly a Fulfilling day!
Post your comments here:
Kolkata: Cal-South
Team Kolkata 2019
Post your comments here:
Kolkata: City Sites!
A day off to rest up and do a bit of sightseeing. We have completed 5 days of distributions with hundreds of lovely children now enjoying all the bedkit items.
Today we enjoyed a bit of a sleep in ourselves before getting into the van to explore Kolkata from a tourist’s eyes. First up was the wholesale flower market where the fragrance of roses, jasmine, marigold and chrysanthemum filled the air.
Then our superb driver, Bilup, took us to the colonial part of the city, weaving effortlessly along the crowded streets. The Victoria Monument features an imposing statue of the former queen in front of a huge marble structure that she commissioned to rival the splendour of the Taj Mahal. Gardens surround the building which she apparently never visited. We enjoyed the quiet of the spaces and even got a bit of a soaking from the rotating sprinklers. Fun!
A tour of the national museum was the last stop. With the help of a guide, we saw art from the 16th century, fossils that were more than one million years old and the skeleton of an Irish Deer that looked like North American moose. One area had really interesting models of agriculture including rice, cotton, silk, jute, match making and indigo. Lots more to learn on another visit.
Now back at the hotel and a relaxing dinner, we are ready for bed to rest and prepare for tomorrow’s distribution where another 620 children will receive the donors’ gifts.
Team Kolkata 2019
Post your comments here:
Kolkata: Contai
We had a wonderful early morning start today. At 6.30 AM we walked to the Bay
of Bengal to catch the sunrise. There is a huge sand beach that you could walk on for
miles.
Our distribution was at Contai where we had the use of a big sports stadium.
The Rotarians
had set up a big room to feed the children and a parent a hot meal before the children
changed into their new clothes.
Outside there was a big wash up area with running water.
The pictures were taken on an open field with the back drop being a fence decorated
with a sheet, balloons and colourful flowers.
The bedkit distribution flowed smoothly and 649 children will get a better sleep tonight.
Team Kolkata 2019
Post your comments here:
 |
| Sunrise at Bay of Bengal |
 |
| Food before distribution at Contai |
 |
| Food before distribution at Contai |
 |
| Washing up after the food |
 |
| Happy bedkit recipient |
Team Kolkata 2019
Post your comments here:
Chennai: Hard at Work!!
As we await the 10th member of our team from Zimbabwe, we want to share with our donors what happens even before the team arrives in a country! Many, many hours are spent in preparation for the SCAW team’s arrival! And in this case it involves the packing of all the items into a large jute bag. This is done in anticipation of the journey that will enrich the lives of 7000 children in and around the city of Chennai. These pictures clearly show you the dedication and care our OVP’s (Overseas Partners) have for the SCAW project!
Stay tuned as we look forward to seeing the children and their wonderful smiling faces in the next few days!”
Post your comments here:
Kolkata: It Takes a Village!!!
It takes a village of volunteers to host a distribution. Today I looked around and noted how many different people were needed to make the distribution successful.
A handyman hanging the backdrop curtain for the pictures, young men acting as a human chain to keep the curious parents at bay. A SCAW volunteer entertaining the kiddies while waiting before the distribution, an emergency services guard attending the children.
There were caregivers, organizers and directors and strong men to load and unload 700 bedkits off the trucks.
There was a sound board technician setting up the microphone for notifying parents to collect their child at the gate, Providers of food for the children, bus drivers, The Rotarians always assisting us, helping translate to allay the concerns of the children, volunteer ticket collectors, assistants to carry the heavy bed kit, and very generous site responders. How blessed we are to always find people young and old stepping in to make this world a better place.
Team Kolkata 2019
Post your comments here:
A handyman hanging the backdrop curtain for the pictures, young men acting as a human chain to keep the curious parents at bay. A SCAW volunteer entertaining the kiddies while waiting before the distribution, an emergency services guard attending the children.
There were caregivers, organizers and directors and strong men to load and unload 700 bedkits off the trucks.
There was a sound board technician setting up the microphone for notifying parents to collect their child at the gate, Providers of food for the children, bus drivers, The Rotarians always assisting us, helping translate to allay the concerns of the children, volunteer ticket collectors, assistants to carry the heavy bed kit, and very generous site responders. How blessed we are to always find people young and old stepping in to make this world a better place.
Team Kolkata 2019
Chennai India 2019: Post Your Comments Here!
As a courtesy to our travelling volunteers, please add your name to the end of your comments.
Kolkata: The World Outside Distributions!
Our distributions don’t happen in isolation but in the world the children know and live in.
Team Kolkata 2018
Post your comments here:
Street markets of beautiful produce laid out on the sidewalk sacred cows
busy and noisy traffic
hand laundry
free ranging dogs and puppies...many puppies.
Then these children turn up with smiles, mischief and wondrous joy as they receive the large and wonderful bedkits to give them sweet dreams and hopes for tomorrow thanks to all our donors. Bless you every one.
Post your comments here:
Kolkata: Joy!!
Today was a successful day for the SCAW team. We completed a 700 kit distribution at the Sudhir Memorial Institute in Kolkata together with the Rotarians and volunteers. The children were wonderful and watching them receive their kits brought us all such joy. Some of the recipients today came from an orphanage and from social services.
We also toured the facility where the bedkits are stored and assembled. The building is close to the Sudhir Memorial Institute and will be completed as a new hospital built by the Rotarians.
Sometimes bedkit distributions can be dirty work and from time to time we need each other for a cleanup. Teamwork is how all these great things happen.
Team Kolkata 2019
Post your comments here:
Sometimes bedkit distributions can be dirty work and from time to time we need each other for a cleanup. Teamwork is how all these great things happen.
Team Kolkata 2019
Post your comments here:
Kolkata: First Distribution!!
The second distribution took place at Kholisakota. This was a new site and 340 SCAW children received their bed kits in this new environment. This sight was special as the team could see the faces of not only the SCAW children but their parents. The smiles and ‘thank yous’ were seen and felt by each team member. A Great Day!
Team Kolkata 2018
Post your comments here:
Kolkata: The Team has Arrived and Set to Go!!
Seven eager SCAW volunteers met at Pearson Airport in Toronto on January 8th
for the long flight to Delhi, India. After that 13 hour flight and another 9 hour wait, we flew to Kolkata. Finally at our destination, we were met by the host Rotarians with the traditional welcome of oil and candle as well as fragrant leis with jasmine and roses.
Tonight we meet with Rotary Club members for final preparations. We are excited to meet the children at our first distribution tomorrow. Please stay tuned for our blogs as we work with the Rotarians to bring the gift of a good night’s sleep to 7,000 children.
Team Kolkata 2018
Post your comments here:
for the long flight to Delhi, India. After that 13 hour flight and another 9 hour wait, we flew to Kolkata. Finally at our destination, we were met by the host Rotarians with the traditional welcome of oil and candle as well as fragrant leis with jasmine and roses.
Tonight we meet with Rotary Club members for final preparations. We are excited to meet the children at our first distribution tomorrow. Please stay tuned for our blogs as we work with the Rotarians to bring the gift of a good night’s sleep to 7,000 children.
 |
| Marg Garrett, Judy Dryden, team leader, Sue Small, Francis Thomas, Sally Jo Martin, Jean Macnab, Nancy Loveless |
Team Kolkata 2018
Post your comments here:
Kolkata India: Post Your Comments Here:
As a courtesy to our travelling team, please add your name to the end of your comment(s).
Pune: Home Visits
With the bedkit distribution over there were just couple of items to complete before the team headed home. We held a post-distribution meeting with our Overseas Partners (Rotary Club of Pune Cantonment) when we reviewed the current distribution; followed shortly by a wrap-up meeting with members of all the Rotary Clubs involved in the "Children's Bliss Project" in attendance
Well deserved recognition was given to those Rotarians who had contributed their time, energy, and enthusiasm to make this project the success that it was. A classical Indian dance presentation was beautifully performed by Pankaj's daughter-in-law Abhidnya. An absolute honour to watch. Several Rotary wives demonstrated a local folk-dance ...encouraging team members to join in.
Our final destination was to a school in Ashtapur followed by visits to several of the children's homes. The school was well equipped for the thirty students in attendance. Brightly decorated classrooms, wall charts, books, and toys created a wonderful learning environment for the children.
Their homes were very similar to each other. One large room approx 15' x 15' served as the bedroom with the family generally sleeping on the cement floor. Alongside this room, a second area approx. 15' x 6' was for food preparation. An outside wood-fueled fire pit was used for cooking. One house did have a two burner gas stove. Electricity was in all these homes.
One child lived with her Grandfather as her Mum had died. She had all of her last year's bedkit items neatly stacked on her bed.
In a second home we found a Grandmother raising her two granddaughters, following the death of her daughter. She showed us some of the items from last years bedkit.
A third house was home to a Mum and her two children, husband, and Grandfather. Their fire pit was inside their home. The fourth visit was home to three children, Mother and Father.
The most basic shelter was a straw and twigs A-frame built by the family, with a dirt floor and no electricity. A Mother and two children lived here.
Post your comments here:
Pune: Another 7502 Children Sleeping Well!
Today, with 1002 children in Haveli, the team completed the distribution of 7,502 bed-kits to the needy children across eight sites in Pune. Inside the school, students dancing, drumming and playing the lejhim, welcomed us.
After the official introductions, more students demonstrated traditional Maharashtra dances. We were truly honoured to witness these elegant, colourful artists.
Our heartfelt thanks go to all those Rotarians and volunteers in and around Pune who worked tirelessly for many months to prepare for this event.
All this would not be possible without those generous donors who provide the gift of a bed-kit and a smile to all these children. Many thanks
For the children,
Team Pune 2018
Post your comments here:
After the official introductions, more students demonstrated traditional Maharashtra dances. We were truly honoured to witness these elegant, colourful artists.
Our heartfelt thanks go to all those Rotarians and volunteers in and around Pune who worked tirelessly for many months to prepare for this event.
All this would not be possible without those generous donors who provide the gift of a bed-kit and a smile to all these children. Many thanks
For the children,
Team Pune 2018
Post your comments here:
Pune: In the Countryside!
After our factory visits yesterday, we continued farther out of Pune in to the countryside toward today’s distribution site at Mhaswad. What a refreshing change from the traffic, noise and hectic pace of the city. People along the way were working hard to farm their land and tend their herds of cows and goats. This is an area rich in fertile soil for many crops like sugar cane and corn. We arrived in Mhaswad just a day or so after a festival and the village roads were still a blaze of purple dye. Curious villagers congregated to welcome us and try to understand what this group from Canada was all about. Because we had spent 2 days traveling out of the city, it was a long 4 hour drive back to our hotel. However long the days, we keep reminding ourselves that we have now made 6500 children and their families very happy. Tomorrow is another day with the last 1000 kits to deliver!
For the children
Team Pune 2018
Post your comments here:
Pune: Visiting 2 Suppliers!
Today was a day off from distribution and we took advantage of our time by visiting two of the suppliers for the sleeping kits.
Mr. Patel provided the clothing for the children from his 250 square foot workroom which has if I counted right, 12 sewing machines. He has 6 or 7 people here but he also has another space with 10 employees as well as he contracts out to individual seamstresses who work at home. The electricity was out when we visited, which apparently is common and when that happens, work carries on at nights to meet deadlines. Mr. Patel showed us samples of his other work including uniforms, which looked great and provided chai during our visit.
We then drove out to a fully automated industrial plant that provided the kit containers, a polymer sack. This company is world competitive in the eco-friendly bio-degradable wrapping market. They pay their employees better than the government mandated minimum wage of 450 rupees or 9$C per day.
The local and Pune rotary clubs and the SCAW then went out to lunch to a great team building experience.
Below are pics of Mr. Patel, his sop and the polymer making equipment with the CEO.
Post your comments here:
Pune: A Successful 6th Day of Distribution!!
Our sixth day of distribution started, as always with a warm reception by the local hosts. To the sound of drumming we were fitted with our pink headdresses before mounting beautifully adorned horses to ride to the venue where 750 excited children and their parents awaited us.
Following the requisite introductions by the Rotarians, our team leader explained and showed the content of the sleeping kit to the wide-eyed audience.
The venue, a newly constructed community hall, allowed us to set up a very efficient distribution flow under a covered roof, which kept us out of the unbearably hot sun. The local organizers did a fantastic job of determining the flow which enabled the distribution to go quickly and efficiently, before we all gathered, around 5 p.m. for our joint lunch with our Rotarian partners.
Team Pune 2018
Post your comments here:
Pune: Bigwan!
We travelled out of Pune today to Bigwan where we were paraded into the grounds in a Jeep. We were working in a beautiful wedding hall therefore the children, parents, and the team were out of the sun!!
It was a pleasure to give out 759 bedkits to these very excited kids! We ended the day with a boat ride on the lake to see a beautiful flock of flamingos. So calm and peaceful after a busy day.
Team Pune 2018
Post your comments here:
It was a pleasure to give out 759 bedkits to these very excited kids! We ended the day with a boat ride on the lake to see a beautiful flock of flamingos. So calm and peaceful after a busy day.
Team Pune 2018
Post your comments here:
Pune: Rest Day!
Today was a rest day and the team had the opportunity to visit the Shaniwarwada- a stately mansion built in Pune by the Peshawar in the 18th century at a cost of Rs.16,110. In 1758 there were 1,000 people living in the palace area. Destroyed by fire in 1828 which burned for 8 days. Only the granite ramparts, teak gateways and stone foundations survived.
Interaction with children ongoing. Our guide was a local Rotarian who explained that Sundays are family time and we encountered many groups of families as we toured the grounds.
We then visited the Hindu Majaraj Shinde Temple located just outside Pune where the great Shinde who fought and won against the British army at Vadgaon lies.
Team Pune 2018
Post your comments here:
Interaction with children ongoing. Our guide was a local Rotarian who explained that Sundays are family time and we encountered many groups of families as we toured the grounds.
We then visited the Hindu Majaraj Shinde Temple located just outside Pune where the great Shinde who fought and won against the British army at Vadgaon lies.
Team Pune 2018
Post your comments here:
Pune: Modes of Transporation!!
A memorable entrance into Kadus today! After being fitted with bright pink turbans, the team were carried to the school in highly decorated bullock carts, lead by drumming and dancing students. What an honour!
A cloud of brightly coloured balloons were released before the distribution of 1,000 bedkits to wide-eyed children began.
At the end of their hectic day, the children with their Mums and Dads made their way home.....by many means: riding in tuk-tuks, sharing a truck, piling onto motor-bikes, but with the vast majority walking happily down the dusty road, bedsit often carried sedately atop their heads.
Team Pune 2018
Post your comments here: