Chennai: Vendor Visits

The main reason that I chose to give my time and energy to SCAW as a volunteer is their commitment to ensuring that 100% of all donations go directly to the children intended.  However, another reason that I choose to support is SCAW is their support of local industry.

Computerized Loom

Today we had the opportunity to visit some of the places where items in the bedkits are manufactured.  These visits made it abundantly clear how much of an impact these bedkits make to the families of the area in terms of employment income.

Hand loom

SCAW is so incredibly lucky to have the Rotary as their Overseas Partner in India.  Our Rotary contact in Chennai, Ravi, explained to us that while the pricing, quality, and reliability are very important factors in selecting vendors, that Rotary also considers the vendor's business practices, ethics and moral values.  For the vendors selected, supplying bedkit items is more about supporting the charity and providing local employment than it is about profits.

Hand loom up close

Today we saw all levels of manufacturing, from women weaving the groundsheet on an entirely manually operated hand loom, to the computerized mechanical looms that weave intricately patterned blankets.  The vendor who supplies the bedsheets has over 100 weavers who work out of their homes.  We visited one home with two mechanical looms where the patterning is set by hand.  The home owner owns the machines, although the supplier assists them with financing on the machines. Supplies are delivered and the finished product is picked up daily.

Women on the hand loom

Today I saw first hand the impact that SCAW has in this area.  It is impressive and heart warming.

Home loom

Jennifer O'Donnell

Team Chennai 2019
Post your comments here:

Chennai: Magical Yercaud

The team woke this morning to a brilliant blue sky and bright sunshine. The high-country morning air was crisp, clean, and full of the sound of birdcalls. At nearly 8000 feet above sea level, it is much cooler here than Chennai and most team members elected to wear a fleece pullover as they left their warm beds and headed to the dining building. A hearty breakfast was shared with our travelling Rotarian partners. Having scouted the distribution site the day before, the team felt well prepared for the site setup. At 8:45am, we loaded into our vans and headed to the school. We did expect some children to be present, but what a surprise, the multiple balconies of the school were lined with students, repeatedly yelling “HELLO”!

Another surprise was that our local Rotarian partners had arrived at 6:00am and organized the distribution site into various stations. Each station had a sign marking its purpose: Registration and Uniform Distribution area, Girls Change Room, Boys Change Room, Photo Area, and Bedkit Distribution Area. In addition, the local Rotarians had erected large canvas awnings over each station to protect us for the hot sun. The objective for today was to distribute 609 bedkits. To truly understand the full impact of this distribution, one needs to appreciate that today’s bedkit recipients came from 55 schools servicing 68 tribal mountain villages ranging as far away as 40 km. As the students changed into their new clothes, the SCAW team organized themselves into two photo teams and the distribution was underway. The photo shoot and bedkit distribution went extremely well and this could not have happened without the support of a local group of high school seniors.

I should mention, this is my first trip with SCAW and my first time in India. Today, it was my job to hand-out bedkits and to provide exit security. This gave me the opportunity to have close interactions with both students and their parents. It is a heartwarming experience to watch a small child nervously approach you, wondering what will happen next, and then leave with a bedkit in hand, a big smile, and a softly whispered “Thank You”. It is equally touching to watch the child deliver the bedkit to their mother, watch her smile and hug her child, and then have her turn to you and thank you personally for such a wonderful gift. After the distribution, the team joined the Rotarians for a wonderful lunch at a beautiful local inn. 

This was followed by a walking tour of the “Colony of Homes” and a visit to two homes that were recipients of today’s distribution. The colony of homes is a cluster of connected concrete homes with corrugated steel roofs built on a mountain slope. Each home is not much larger than a one-car garage, comprised of 3 or 4 rooms, in which an entire family lives. In the colony, communal drinking water and toilet facilities are the norm.

As many of us remarked after the tour, the homes of these children are such a contrast from what one would envision for them. This is real poverty!! But yet, they arrive at school, uniforms clean, wonderfully groomed and smiling. One last very important note:  SCAW has been doing a distribution in Yercaud off-and-on over the last 13 years and in that time, school attendance and retention has increased by 20%. The local Rotarians directly attribute this incredible statistic to our bedkit distributions. Great work everyone!!!

Trevor Ryan
Team Chennai 2019
Post your comments here:

Kolkata: A Sacred Visitor At Today's Distribution!

What a surprise when the cows came through the gates to the school and charged down the stairs past between the rows of children lined up to have their picture taken. (luckily) Everyone was set in motion

He really did pose for Nancy to take this photo

Team Kolkata 2019
Post your comments here:

Kolkata: Haringhata

Driving north from the city this morning we enjoyed views of the rural countryside. Banana plantations, fields of mustard plants, market gardens and more cows and goats than we have seen up to now. It was a pleasant change from the crowded streets of Kolkata...

The distribution was in the courtyard of a school with grass instead of the usual dirt. However the ground was very rough and we had to be careful not to twist an ankle. The barefoot children were given a full meal of rice and curried vegetables before changing into their bedkit clothing - dresses for girls and shorts with t-shirts for the boys.

Part way through the distribution we had to stop to allow for the delivery by cart of large bags of rice. All government schools are mandated to provide a hot lunch for the students.
Rice, a vegetable and an egg every day encourages the children to attend regularly. The bonus for the family is that money isn’t needed for that daily lunch. Our Rotary friends said that even the cows benefit as they get the leftovers!

Team Kolkata 2019
Post your comments here:

Chennai: Yarcaud

Today was a restful day for the SCAW volunteers and visited our next distribution site in preparation for tomorrow's distribution. Yarcaud is a beautiful place with its peaceful atmosphere overlooking the lake on a hill station surrounded by abundance of forest.  It's well known for its cool weather and the scenic stations. The school kids we met were fantastic. The Rotarians are ever so grateful to the Canadians for the wonderful gifts they bring to the children. The Rotarians advised us that the number of children attending school has increased as a result of the bedkits given to the children at the school. Most of the children walk to the school and enjoy it. There is a big plantation of about 750 hectares nearby owned by one of the Rotarians who was more than willing to take the SCAW volunteers around his plantation briefing us on the history of the plant and thereafter hosted lunch for the Rotarians and SCAW volunteers which was great. It was time for SCAW volunteers and Rotarians to fellowship away from the busy schedule.

We took another trip to Shevaroy Temple, the highest point of the Yercaud mountain which is 5,500ft and went into the temple using a small cave. Each member had to ring a bell on the way in as is the custom and back at the hotel in time for dinner.

Team Chennai 2019
Post your comments here:

Chennai: Vellore

Today was our first distribution out of Chennai. We were out of the hotel by 6 am for a 3 hour drive to Vellore.  As always 70 percent of the bedkit was devoted to sleep needs but the major purpose of a good nights sleep is to do well in school. This year's school bag has a motto encouraging girls to stay in school plus a Tamil to English dictionary, pencils, erasers, books and a package of colour pencils. 

The first group of enthusiastic children that we met were from an orphanage school and it seems very fitting that a large number of them received a bedkit from students at a Toronto school. The children, as always, were a delight and even when they were confused or uncertain they were unfailingly polite and quick to smile and say thank you. After bringing a smile to 225 children we moved to a new site.

We tried an experiment running 2 sites at a time for the second distribution  which was both interesting and a challenge but a satisfying way to give another 639 children bedkits and a happy way to end the distribution day.

Many thanks to the Rotarians who very kindly provided lunch for both the children and ourselves. After our delicious lunch, which was much appreciated, we headed out for a long drive drive to our next hotel in the mountains.

Team Chennai 2019
Post your comments here:

Kolkata: Sonamukhi

We visited Sonamukhi which is a very poor rural area 4 hours outside of Kolkata. We had several cows visit during this distribution of 640 new SCAW children.

We were able to interview 3 new SCAW children whose ages were 6,9 and 10. One boy and 2 girls. Each child was accompanied by a parent. All of these children lived in homes with their siblings and other relatives as well. All families interviewed slept on a raised wooden slat bed and usually all slept together as a family unit. 

All of the families had a mosquito net and understood how to use one but the one they had was old and had holes in it. All of the families were thrilled to see their new mosquito net in the bed kit.

The parents and children were thrilled with all the items in the bed kit. It is wonderful to see the expression on the parents faces as each item of the bed kit is explained. 

We discussed sleep with the parents and stressed that all the items in the kit were meant to help the children get a good night sleep and stay in school.

Team Kolkata 2019
Post your comments here:

Chennai: Happy Faces!

This is my second distribution, the first time was in Pune and now Chennai. Its good to be back.  Yesterday, the first distribution day, I got to look at every one of the 474 children in the eye, while I drew a happy face on their hand.  It was such a touching and rewarding experience, to see the excitement in those eyes.  They are happy little people, despite their lot in life.

Today, my assignment was to send the children out to get their picture taken. There were a group of children who stood out somewhat, in that they were severely deaf and required a cumbersome device behind their ears. This did not dampen their spirits at all. They were just as excited and waved goodbye to me as fervently as all the rest. We gave out 480 kits today.  The young teenagers who assist us are an integral part of the team and the Rotary helpers are formidable.

Tonight was a very special night. Ravi, our Rotory leader, invited us, as honoured guests, to his Daughter’s engagement ceremony.  It was a traditional Hindu ceremony followed by a traditional South India meal, served on a banana leaf. We felt very special.What would we do without Ravi.

Catherine Gayton for

Team Chennai 2019
Post your comments here:

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:

Kolkata: Cal-South

Today we gave SCAW bedkits to several blind children.  They traveled through the distribution site slowly and silently.  Some children looped arms with a teacher or friend.  Other children were in a line gently holding onto the shoulders of the child in front.  They were all surrounded with love.

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.

Sunrise at Bay of Bengal

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.

Food before distribution at Contai

Food before distribution at Contai

Outside there was a big wash up area with running water.

Washing up after the food

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.

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!”

Team Chennai 2019
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:

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. 

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.

Team Kolkata 2018
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:

Kolkata: First Distribution!!

Today was our first distribution day in Kolkata. It consisted of two distribution sites. Our first site was at the Rotary Centre where we distributed 106 bed kits. The SCAW team had visited the site the day before. The site was rough and much work needed to be done for the distribution. We applaud the Dum Dum Rotarians as they worked through the night preparing the site for the SCAW children. The 106 SCAW children received their bed kits with much jubilation at this distribution site.

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.

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).