You can also download a PDF version of this report from our Distributions page.
|
Location, Location, LocationJudy Dryden – Victoria, BC
Just as in real estate, the issue of location is vitally important to a Sleeping Children Around the World [SCAW] bedkit distribution. What constitutes the “ideal” site? Our overseas volunteer organizations wrestle with this question when planning a distribution. The requirements that the facility must be easily accessible to the children in the area, and for security reasons it has to be able to be contained in some way, are two of the easier issues. What’s more difficult is the facility’s capacity to accommodate the size and flow of the distribution – from a child’s entry to the site, changing into new clothes, lining up for the photo, photo-taking, receiving the bedkit, and leaving the site all in a circular pattern. This flow helps each child navigate through this exciting day and minimizes confusion about which child has had the photo taken and who has received a bedkit. When we’re talking about several hundred six- to twelve-year-old children a day, this is a big deal! Imagine the difficulties when several well-chosen distribution sites are suddenly no longer available due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control.
That’s the situation we faced on the Nicaragua distribution this year. The Rotary Club of Managua had to move fast in order to find new, suitable locations so the remaining 2,500 children would receive their bedkits. They spent many hours on the phone, recruited help from friends and family, and put in long days in order to accomplish this. They found substitute facilities and prepared the new volunteers who would help at these distributions. Their efforts paid off, and all 5,000 wonderful children and their families are grateful. Gracias to our overseas volunteers for making this happen. |
