Kenya: Kibera

Today, the Kenya SCAW team distributed 1000 bedkits at a school in Africa's largest slum called Kibera. No doubt it could be considered a real eye opener and reality check for those in first world countries. It's one thing to show a picture to family and friends, but it's a whole different thing to experience it first hand. I don't think anyone realizes how materialistic we really are until we see these little children in such poor countries. 

The kids were so happy despite having very little, where we have everything at our fingertips for the most part. With smiles from ear to ear, the kids were so excited and grateful for the bedkits people had donated to them - many "thank you's," along the way as the kits were given to them. The Rotarians that helped us out today were phenomenal, as were the school staff and students. Our team couldn't have run such a smooth distribution if it wasn't for them. 

Today was remarkable and touching.

Willow Jacques for
Team Kenya 2019
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Kenya: We Have Arrived & 1000 Bedkits Distributed!!

Under the sunny Kenyan sky we laughed and danced and played with a 1000 terrific kids, all who will be sleeping more soundly tonight with their new bedkit items. The bedkit distribution took place at a school with approximately 2500 students, classrooms packed with upwards of 100 students per teacher.  The day went smoothly, with our Canadian team working alongside our Kenyan partners, plus the teachers and student supporters- everyone pitched in to help the kids! A great start to our working adventure and we look forward to spending more time with the kids tomorrow!

Team Kenya 2019:
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Belgaum: Over 3000 KM Travelled + 7000 Bedkits Distributed = Mission Accomplished!!

Our team awoke to another sun filled day in the tropics, in the town of Karwar, on the Arabian Sea. Following an early breakfast enjoyed on the outdoor terrace with the gentle breezes cooling us, we walked approximately two blocks to the waterfront. Here we leisurely strolled along the beach, with the mountains surrounding us. Of great interest were the old mahogany fishing boats pulled up on the shore with nets and ropes neatly coiled, waiting for the owner to begin the day's work.

We also watched about twenty young men playing what appeared to be an Indian version of rugby without the ball. When taken down, they certainly didn't mind being covered in sand and came up smiling!!

This distribution of 400 bedkits was held in a special event hall, with many overhead fans keeping the children and volunteers cool! Much appreciated by all! The small club of Rotarians were extremely well organized, with many happy and enthusiastic helpers that resulted in completing the distribution in two hours.

Today all the children came from the outlying villages, the farthest being 75 kilometres away. Buses had been organized by the Rotarians according school to transport the children and their families. It was my privilege to hand out the bedkits today to the smiling, overjoyed children and I know they will all enjoy a good night's sleep tonight.

We travelled four hours back to Belgaum and tonight the post distribution meeting will be held with our hosts, the Rotary Club of Belgaum. And tomorrow our Canadian team members will say goodbye, some returning home and others extending their travels in India.

Accolades are in order to all the Rotarians who hosted the 13 distributions, their hundreds of volunteers, our Team Leader Sandra Riches, and my colleagues on the Canadian Team, our superb driver Shekher who skillfully provided our transportation over approximately 3000 kilometres.

Most importantly, we appreciate the thousands of donors who made Murray's Dream of providing a good night's sleep for children possible.

The final distribution at Karwar completes our commitment to deliver 7,000 bedkits to those children that need them the most.

For the Children,
Carol Rolph for
Team Belgaum 2019
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Belgaum: Mundgod & Sirsi

Today was another busy, long, and fruitful day with several hours spent driving in our vehicle. We left Hubli and traveled south to our two distribution sites of Mundgod (300 bedkits) and Sirsi (400 bedkits), and then proceeded to the site of our final distribution tomorrow.

During the distribution at Sirsi, the Rotary Club of Belgaum reached the 50,000th bedkit milestone, made possible through their hard work and passion to help the children.

Since the 14-member Mundgod Rotary Club was hosting their very first distribution, members of the Belgaum Trust assisted with the set up and smooth operation.

In both sites, the children from rural villages were very excited and happy

and the parents, who waited patiently outside, were so thankful.

Our driver, Shekher, deserves special mention, as he has been extremely dedicated and helpful assisting with several tasks at each distribution and always with a positive, pleasant manner.

As we descended from Sirsi, he skillfully guided us, in the dark, along the curvy roads and construction areas against steady ongoing traffic. He is definitely a valuable member of our team. Thanks to Shekher we reached our destination safely, and look forward to our final distribution tomorrow.

With today’s distributions completed, we have now given 6,600 bedkits to the children. They all left happy and smiling with the generosity of donors very much appreciated by the parents.

For the Children,
Ann MacDonald for
Team Belgaum 2019
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Belgaum: Hubli and Kundgol

Today we travelled to two different distribution sites: the first was in the city of Hubli and the second was in the village of Kundgol where we distributed 400 bedkits at each site for a total of 800 bedkits today.

So, the question that came up is how the children are selected as the need is great wherever you go in this region. This came up in the discussion with the Rotary Club of Hubli, a club that has been active since 1947, has consistently had a membership of over 100 Rotarians and has been involved with SCAW bedkits since 1975. In this time interval they have distributed about 30,000 bedkits!

Preparation by the Rotarians to go into the government schools consists of organizing meetings, school selection and administrative support which all together take about 100 man hours.

To find the children who would benefit most from a bedkit and following guidelines set out by SCAW, the club organizes 10 teams of four Rotarians who visit 40 schools in the surrounding villages, directly interview prospective bedkit recipients through the use of a questionnaire, determine those children eligible and then select five girls and five boys from each school to come up with the 400 children who would get the bedkits this year. This takes about 400 man hours of work by the Rotarians.

On the day before the distribution takes place, the bedkit contents are assembled by a large number of people consisting of Rotarians, Interact/Rotaract members, families, friends and consume about 200 man hours to ensure that the bedkits are available to be given to the selected children the next day.

Finally, it is distribution day and the Rotarians come out in force as well as other volunteers such as local police, family and friends to ensure that the distribution process goes smoothly.

Before too long, the 400 selected children arrive with an adult family member and we all closely cooperate to ensure that the children get the bedkit they so deserve in as error-free process as possible. For the Rotarians and all those who helped them get this all done, it took about 300 man hours.

Total man hours associated with the Hubli bedkit distribution this year is estimated to be in the neighbourhood of 1,000 man hours, an effort that is probably representative of the 11 Rotary Clubs involved with our team at each of their sites as well as the charitable organization Ekal, an amazing commitment by these clubs and organizations…all for the children so that they can have a good night’s sleep.

As you can see, to be an overseas volunteer partner, such as Rotary, takes considerable time, effort and resources to make the distribution of the donor funded bedkits possible.

For all involved, it is a labour of love because we all care for children and know that if they can have a good night sleep, life is so much more positive for them all and their families.

Team Belgaum 2019 has now distributed 5,900 bedkits with three distributions remaining. What a positive experience for all!!

For the Children,
Joep Diening for
Team Belgaum 2019
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Belgaum: Home Visits

After today’s distribution of 500 bed kits under yet another sunny sky, the Rotary brought us to visit a village called Bailhongal where we visited two homes after completing the distribution.

Home 1

A family of three lived in the corrugated tin home located along a narrow road in a village where cattle, when not used in the field, are tightly roped to stakes outside the home.

This home was equipped with government supplied electricity and gas. There were no windows, no furniture and the home was very small.  The corrugated tin roof was curiously decorated with plants stuck in ‘clay pots’.

The inside area was divided into two. At night the family’s two cattle occupied half the space and the family slept in the other half (including the kitchen) on a mat placed on the ground.  A wall mounted clock was the only decoration.  In the corner by the door was a two-foot square cement bathing area.

Home 2

A family of three lived in this newly constructed tin home located in the middle of a field. It was not yet equipped with electricity or gas. It also had no windows nor furniture.

Neatly aligned and polished metal pots were proudly lined up on a shelf.
The family cooked with wood inside the one room house which had a front and back door.

A raised clay platform covered in tarp in the back of the room is where the family of three slept and where water jugs were stored.

A wooden peg was used to secure the cattle in the home at night.

Both homes receiving the bedkits were looking forward to sleeping under the SCAW provided mosquito nets as they had none.

As of end of day in Bailhongal, we distributed 5,100 bedkits with five more distributions to go to reach the 7,000 total.

For the Children,
Line Forestier for
Team Belgaum 2019
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Belgaum: A 50,000 Milestone!!

Today’s distribution in Belgaum, under a very sunny sky, was mammoth and marked an admirable milestone for the Rotary Club who began working with SCAW in 1996.

Many hands make light work. This was our team’s biggest single distribution - 1000 bed kits were given to children some of whom had travelled up to 70 kilometres early this morning with their parent.

A number of players were instrumental to today’s smooth operation.

No small details were overlooked by Dilip Chitnis and his team of rotary’s colleagues, Rotaracts, their families and friends.

Generous school teachers, whose math skills far surpassed ours, easily counted and organized the children for the large group photographs. Determined family members managed to make children not only smile but laugh out loud while having their picture taken. Donors will enjoy seeing these pictures.

As for the special milestone reached today for the Belgaum Rotary... drum roll please..... they have now distributed over 50,000 bed kits in the area. Congratulations !!!

We look forward to working with you for the next 50,000 !

For the children,
Sandra Riches - Team Leader for
Team Belgaum 2018
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Belgaum: Factory Visit

Today was a non-distribution day which allowed us to do a factory visit as part of our audit function for Sleeping Children Around the World. When a team does a distribution in a country, there is a requirement that manufacturers and suppliers are compliant to SCAW guidelines for local procurement.

We made a visit to a tailor shop where all the clothing for the 7,000 bedkits were made for this distribution. This is all accomplished in an extremely small space of two rooms in which five employees using very old Singer sewing machines work very hard for four months to produce the beautiful dresses, shirts and shorts given to the children.

The tailor and his assistant come to each distribution site to ensure that each child is fitted properly for their new clothing. It is amazing how he can take one look at a child and chose the proper size.

For the children and their family, this is a very special day. The children’s hair is done in braids and decorated with flowers and barrettes. They look their Sunday best!

The evening was spent with our Belgaum Rotary hosts visiting a swimming pool which they financed, built and operate.

This pool is open to all the children from the variously handicapped to high-level athletes. We heard amazing stories about the children’s accomplishments. One young man who did his training at the pool swam the English Channel with just one arm. Neither deafness, blindness, delayed development or physical impairment can hold any of these children from enjoying the water or earning medals for India in international competitions. The head coach in charge of the pool, is extremely energetic and passionate about his work.

This concludes another busy, wonderful and inspiring day. Going on a SCAW distribution is truly an ongoing adventure, full of long days, lots of fun,  with the reward of smiling children happily going home for a good night’s sleep!

Carol Diening for
Team Belgaum 2019
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Belgaum: Ekal at Ramnagar!

Today we retraced our way through part of the Mhade Wildlife Sanctuary to a small rural village called Ramnagar where once again we were warmly welcomed by the organizing Ekal volunteer Girish Pai, and his outstanding local volunteers, and most especially the beautiful children and their parents. It is often said that it takes a village to raise a child, but today it was the exceptional team of volunteers who raised the standard of this distribution of 800 bedkits to new heights. The accompanying picture shows the efficient volunteer team.

Each child on their arrival received a banana, and upon leaving with their bedkits, a sandwich and a sweet bun. In this year’s bedkit our Canadian donors have provided a sleeping mat, two light weight blankets, a very warm wool blanket, two sets of clothes and sweater, an insect repellent mosquito net, flip flops, raincoat, backpack and school supplies. The children and families are overwhelmed with gratitude and joy as kids go home for a better night’s sleep!

As we travel we are exposed to many unfamiliar, but interesting sights outside the larger cities, such as: religious processions on foot in special dress, some with offerings carried on their heads; protests marching on foot; shepherds with their flocks; herds of goats, and of course the sacred cows. Both in the large cities, small villages, and along the countryside, people selling their wares in small stalls or beautifully displayed vegetables sitting along the roadside; small brickwork factories; fields and fields of sugar cane blowing in the wind and the sight of hundreds of trucks brimming over with their load, lining the narrow road, waiting not hours but days to unload their trucks at the sugarcane factory. 

But the almost unbelievable experience is the sight, sound, and speed of the congested traffic, consisting of motor bikes, trucks, cars, bicycles, tuk-tuks, pedestrians and at times cows! Up to ten lines of vehicles jostling for a spot to proceed, darting in and out, literally with inches to spare, stopping and starting quickly with screeching brakes all the while blowing their horns, both out of frustration as well as safety measures to alert the driver they are about to be passed.

Our donors and volunteers can rest assured another 800 children are sleeping better tonight! 

We are now at 3,600 bedkits distributed towards our goal of 7000 bedkits!

For the children

Carol Rolph for

Team Belgaum 2019
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Belgaum: EKAL at Dandeli

Today we travelled south through a shady forested national park; as we descended we encountered a few rough areas of road construction.  The topography and vegetation were in sharp contrast to the more arid and flatter terrain of the past few days, where sugar cane and rice fields were prevalent.

The distribution was in the small village of Dandeli where cows wandered freely in the streets.

Our partner today was the NGO EKAL ABHIYAN, and volunteers were mainly members and family.

There are several remote rural villages in this area, and many parents of the recipients work in the fields, laboriously assisting with the harvesting of sugar cane.

Some children in these areas are unable to attend school, and the EKAL volunteers, guided by their principle “If children are not coming to school, education has to reach at their doorstep.” provide evening lessons to some individuals.

The 800 bedkit recipients greet us with great enthusiasm, and are very happy and excited as they await their photos in their new clothes.

Many are a bit nervous about the process as they proceed through the various stations, and they are in awe of the various bedkit items that they receive.

Our pleasant and friendly SCAW team members, with their positive warm gestures and words encourage each individual; they greatly appreciate the heartwarming experience.

The EKAL leader and volunteers are very well organized and efficient, and we look forward to working harmoniously with them tomorrow.

Total bedkit distribution to date for Team Belgaum is 2,800!

Anne Mac Donald for

Team Belgaum 2019
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Belgaum: Ramburg

It is an in incredible opportunity and experience to be a new volunteer with SCAW - Team Belgaum.  On today’s blog, I would like to give a “shout out” to the families .... single parent, mother, father, grandparent and/or uncle. Many travelled over 25 km to get to the distribution, either on foot, bus, or a shared vehicle.

The distribution takes time and the parents waited very patiently for at least 4 to 5 hours in 32 degrees Celsius, with limited shade from the sun and in crowded conditions outside the centre.

They also have to retrace their trip with the child and the bedkit. A very, very long day!!!!  However, the wait was worth it when their daughter or son was escorted to their family with a bedkit often bigger than the child.

Every parent wants the best for their child, and our generous donors help them achieve this objective. The family interview on bedkit items and sleep habits is an important part of the process. 

The gratitude, smiles and happiness are priceless!!!!

Today we distributed 600 bedkits, and to date there are a total of 2000 extremely happy children and their families who will get a better sleep!!

For the children,
Colleen Watson for

Team Belgaum 2019

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Belgaum: Gokak and Nipani

This is my first trip with SCAW and I am thrilled to be part of this dedicated team that distributed 900 bed kits at two locations today.   It’s been a long 13-hour day for us! This late-night entry will focus on the children who so eagerly greet us in various ways upon our arrival at the distribution locations.

Their loud cheers are pleasantly deafening and very humbling.

Their eager two-handed waves are heartwarming.   Their beautiful and sometimes toothless smiles are heart melting.

As hard as I try to capture their warm welcome in a photograph or two, it’s simply not possible.

I look forward to tomorrow’s distribution and to the enormous goosebumps I get when these patient, well behaved children welcome us into their world.

Total bedkits delivered to date is 1,400.  Only 5,600 to go!

For the Children,
Line ‘Goosebump’ Forestier for

Team Belgaum 2019

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Belgaum: You Can’t Clap with One Hand!

Welcome to the first entry of our Team Belgaum 2019 blog…with a focus on the Overseas Partner Organization (OVP)!

Seven members of SCAW’s travelling team under the leadership of Sandy Riches arrived in Belgaum, India late Friday, 8 February.  We were met by our OVP, the Rotary Club of Belgaum International Service Projects Association who are now in their 31st year of partnering with SCAW. Under the oversight of Rotarian Dilip Chitnis, members organized the 7,000 bedkit distribution effort in the region with the help of 12 local Rotary Clubs that will take place over the next 11 days. 

Today, it took three hours of driving to arrive at Athani where we were met by the very enthusiastic and welcoming 40 members belonging to the Rotary Club of Athani. 

The wonderful children were patiently waiting to receive their bedkits with their parents. 

Once the team was organized, all 500 bedkits were handed out over the space of about 3 ½ hours, with pictures taken, family interviews completed and the children, who came from within a radius of about 25 KM around the distribution site, going home happily and with lots of gratitude to the donors.

To add a different focus, In the background to these distributions, there is a significant amount of volunteer work required to procure the items, assemble them and hand them out to the children.  In the case of the Athani Rotarians, they visited the schools, spoke with the teachers, did some home visits to determine who needed bedkits and ensured that they met the standards set by Sleeping Children Around the World (SCAW). 

Over the last two weeks, club members put in over 90 volunteer hours to assemble the bedkits in the selected venue, a local community recreation centre, and get everything ready for today’s distribution.  And they did an outstanding job!!  This was their 11th year of organizing the bedkit distribution in their area and have helped over 3,000 children have a better sleep, which can make the difference between hope and despair, as stated by our first-time travelling volunteer, Colleen Watson.

When I spoke with them, one Rotarian, Deepak Patil, mentioned that club members were so impressed with what SCAW was doing for the children and how we, as travelling volunteers from Canada, freely gave of our own time and effort, they just wanted to do their part as it takes both sides to successfully complete a distribution.  And that is why he said, “You can’t clap with one hand!”

What a great first day!  We came back to Belgaum 12 hours after we left it, very tired and very satisfied to see those happy children go to their homes, knowing that they will have a better sleep to face tomorrow’s challenges.

For the Children,

Joep Diening for

Team Belgaum 2019

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Belgaum, India 2019: Post Your Comments Here:

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Chennai: Mission Accomplished on The Andaman Islands!

Every other year SCAW does a distribution on one of the Andaman Islands. This year 6 of the terrific team of ten, travelled overnight for 8 hours on a ferry to Hut Bay on Little Andaman - the southern most island in the Archipelago. There are over 500 islands here of which only 37 are inhabited

After freshening up we made our way to the first site where we were greeted by 277 children playing in the field. A few hours later we went to the second site where the parents of the 223 children waited patiently - women under a colourful canopy and men standing the sun. Many of these children were tribal children from the Nicobar tribes and we noticed some obvious differences. The girls wore their hair short and they all were much more cautious to give us a smile. However once they received their bedkits they were all smiles.

This was the very first time that SCAW has been to Hut Bay. The schools, under the leadership of 2 special ladies provided a very well organized and what appeared to be a very happy environment!

We were thrilled to end our journey here on this little island completing our task of handing out 7000 bedkits to the children in India.

Theresa Carravetta — Team Leader
Team Chennai 2019
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Chennai: The Last Day for Some Team Chennai Members!

Today at the Rotary sponsored school in Ambattur we handed about 1040 bedkits - 30 of which were to the recently born babies. These layettes went to babies days old to 6 months. It was the last distribution day for 4 of the team members who will be heading back to Canada in the next few days. The other 6 will continue the journey to complete the 7000 Chennai distribution with the last 500 bedkits.

Once again this school, the staff and the senior students pulled through to make this such a success. They knew the routine and initiated it without any issue. The team was grateful for their support and accuracy in completing such a large task. We couldn’t have done it without them - yet again!

We feel so blessed to have met these wonderful children and to have been a part of the next step of their journey. Our continued thanks go to the SCAW donors.

Team Chennai 2019
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Chennai: Pondicherry

Today was a long day for both teams. For us, starting with a 3 1/2 hour drive to Pondicherry district.  We arrived to a lovely welcome by some of the schools already assembled.  At this distribution we had the opportunity to showcase the actual contents of the bed kit. All items were received with a hearty round of applause until the school supplies were displayed and the cheers and applause rose into a crescendo. Interesting. 

We made a couple of observations at this distribution.  There seemed to be an inordinate number of tiny malnourished children, and conversely, quite a few very large children who could not possibly fit into the XXL size uniform.  Finally we thought there were an above average number of children barefooted. 

Our team handed out 571 bedkits.  All went very well, smooth and orderly.

The other team gave out 534 bedkits and also had a very successful day, topped off with
incredible hospitality from the Ashram they visited and the MP  Reddy. 

Catherine Gayton for
Team Chennai 2019
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Chennai: Tiruvallur

Today we headed out 45 km (almost two hours in Indian traffic) to Tiruvallur where we handed out 700 bedkits 

We were enthusiastically greeted with ceremonial shawls from the local Rotarians and a lovely young lady doing a native dance. It was very impressive to see.

Again we distributed in a school and it was so good to note that so many children are now attending. The school is in a low income area and has 3500 students. We were overwhelmed by the number of volunteers both teacher and student. Today we met a teacher who has been actively involved with SCAW distributions here for the past 14 years. It was a boisterous and happy distribution with the children smiling and willing to play games.

As an added bonus today we were able to interview a mother and her daughter, who received a bedkit last year and told us it had really helped her to sleep better and succeed at school.

After the distribution drove to visit the homes of two students who received bedkits today and had been interviewed about their sleep habits. Neither home had electricity and both had thatched roofs that leak with every monsoon. One of the  mothers told us that the family couldn't currently sleep in their home because of snakes. Both families use wood fire smoke to clear their homes of mosquitos and so particularly valued the mosquito net. The children as always were happy and the family delighted to have a bedkit.

It was a satisfying and busy day.

Team Chennai 2019
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Chennai: Madurai

It was Republic Day in India. Republic Day honours the day in which the Constitution of India came into effect on January 26, 1950.

Today our distribution took place at a school in Madurai. We distributed 592 bedkits to some very spunky, smiling, deserving children. The difference today was the bedkit that was being distributed. This was something new; it was a sample kit that is being tested. These bedkits included an all in one mattress and pillow with a bamboo backing.

 It is slightly different from the other bedkits that feature a ground cover, bed sheet and pillow. I have participated in three distributions; this was my second one in India. It never ceases to amaze me how these children can touch your heart in so many ways, their smile, laugh and genuine appreciation reminds me why being a volunteer with SCAW is so very rewarding to me. 

A bedkit distribution requires many things to fall into place to ensure it runs smoothly. It was heartwarming to see how many Rotarians and volunteers showed up, despite the local holiday that was taking place, a true testament to how much this distribution meant to them.

Today my job was to work with another team member, Iain Spencer (AKA Gramps). Iain obtained this nickname from a little girl that we met in the temple the day before. Our job was to put happy faces on the children’s hands which is a check procedure before they can obtain their bedkits. 

The team is heading back to Chennai today and begins distributions in the local area tomorrow. Another successful day was had, 592 children will have a restful, comfortable sleep tonight on their new bed. Sleep well children!

Cheryl Warner for 
Team Chennai 2019
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