SCAW Blog: Sri Lanka, 2023: November 12

November 13, 2023

Today we returned to the school in Ududumbara for the distribution of 400 more bedkits. The senior students from the school were eager to assist with the distribution and helped the younger students carry their bedkits to their parents. We really appreciated their help to make the distribution run smoothly.

The school provided us with wonderful snacks and lunches during and at the end of the day.

When we were done we began our long trek back to Colombo. On the way we stopped at a batik shop where we were shown the process of how making batik. Very interesting.

We continued our 3 hours drive through the towns and wonderful landscapes of Sri Lanka.

Team Sri Lanka 2023

Rotary Club of Kelaniya 🇱🇰 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: Sri Lanka, 2023: November 10

November 13, 2023

Oh what a fabulous day!

Our distribution was held at a Tamil school high in the hills near Kandy. Children from the surrounding area came to that school to get their bedkits.

The school was very well kept and included grades 1 - 13. We were offered tea in the Home Sciences classroom where boys and girls are taught to sew and to cook.

They were very proud of their library that contained books in both Tamil and English and there were plenty of inspirational signs scattered around the school.

The small children needed help carrying their bedkits and we had lots of volunteers in the 8th and 9th grades to help us with that.

These older children were an absolute delight to work with and whenever we had a spare moment we had no end of fun entertaining each other. Most wonderful of all was having them sing their national anthem to us and at the close of the day, they all wanted hugs which we were only too happy to provide! There could not have been any better way to end the day!

Team Sri Lanka 2023

Rotary Club of Kelaniya 🇱🇰 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: Sri Lanka, 2023: November 11

November 13, 2023

Sunshine and rain . . . laughter and tears.

Each day is like no other; the joy of being there and the sorrow of leaving.

Sri Lanka is a very unique and beautiful country and today we arrived at Ududumbara where we were greeted by young people who put on an amazing traditional dance for us.

They train for many years to become so flexible and their costumes were exquisitely decorated with hand- sewn beadwork.

We were also delighted to discover that they had a girls’ soccer team as well as a boys’ cricket team.

The monsoon season has started early which is an extra challenge. We cannot spend as much time with the children as we would have liked . . . the clouds roll in rapidly and it feels like someone dumped a bucket of water over us. The rain started very quickly, about lunch time, but luckily we were able to finish the distribution in time; and it was a warm rain.

This photo is of terracing for growing various vegetables .This is done by stacking coconut shells to hold the soil in place, and to retain a certain amount of water.

I should mention, along with the overseas partners who do an incredible amount of background work, we had an amazing amount of help from the older students at the site. They were exceptional and so very eager to help in any way they could. Chris spent some time talking to many of them.

Team Sri Lanka 2023

Rotary Club of Kelaniya 🇱🇰 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: Sri Lanka, 2023: November 9

November 9, 2023

Today is a travel day as we traverse the vast greenery of the Sri Lankan rainforest/jungle. The floral life is everywhere, only interrupted by rice fields.

Rice, a food staple, is cooked in a large variety of ways and blended with amazing spices. Add an array of fruits that are available for breakfast, lunch and dinner and you have dishes that all the team have enjoyed.

We fit in some cultural learning with visits to a spice garden and a tea factory. At the spice garden we were introduced to a wide variety of herbal remedies based on the plant ingredients. The tea factory tour covered all the steps of processing various types of tea in varying quality. This was a well established facility with equipment from the 1930’s.

Being a travel day we all missed the interaction with the children whose wide smiles warm the heart. However, tomorrow is a brand new day with bedkits waiting and ready to be distributed.

Team Sri Lanka 2023

Rotary Club of Kelaniya 🇱🇰 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: Sri Lanka, 2023: November 8

November 8, 2023

This was another wonderful day spent with lovely children and great new friends here in Sri Lanka. We left our hotel in our bus at 8 am to go to our third distribution site which was about an hour away. Today 7000 bedkits were given out to children who live in an area where their families tend to be subsistence farmers.
Hundreds of children as well as many moms and dads greeted us, fiercely clapping when we arrived. We were also given a variety of beautiful flowers.

Today’s distribution was at a Buddhist Temple where a young monk and a school girl bid us welcome. After we got set up for the day we were able to start moving the children through. Later we watched their happy smiles as they walked away carrying their bedkits.

The children today came from visually poor circumstances. Many wore school uniforms that were missing parts and some were not wearing uniforms at all. Uniforms are no longer given free to children, but now have to be purchased.

Just as we were almost done, a rainstorm passed through delaying the finish. However, the rain made the heat less oppressive but still our faces remained glazed with sweat.

After handed out the last bedkit, we were served lunch before we drove away, having thus successfully ended our third distribution in Sri Lanka 2023.

Team Sri Lanka 2023

Rotary Club of Kelaniya 🇱🇰 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: Sri Lanka, 2023: November 7

November 7, 2023

Our day starts out with a warm greeting from the parents, teachers and children in the community.

The organization and distribution of anywhere from 500 to 1,100 bedkits per day is a smooth operation, thanks to the collaboration of the Rotary Club of Kelaniya and the SCAW team.

There are several jobs that SCAW volunteers are responsible for. My assigned responsibility for the day was to place the gift of a bedkit in the hands of each beautiful child. These are quickly and efficiently lifted into the hands of a friendly volunteer from the Rotary Club to pass on to the child’s parent who is waiting patiently to help, as there are many useful items given to the child.

Having the opportunity to look into each child’s eyes is amazing. I’m unable to put into words how special the sight of each smiling face is. There are many pairs of beautiful eyes, looking sometimes with shy apprehension, but most often with wonder, excitement and joy. l imagine my expression mirrors theirs as I smile with pure joy at every child.

It takes donors, organizers, and hours of work from the volunteers to prepare for each day’s distribution but those smiles make it worthwhile.

Later in the day the rain pours non-stop until we are finished giving the children their bedkits.

Knowing about SCAW for over 20 years and wanting to volunteer for this wonderful charity for many of those years, I am finally living my dream and it is so much more than I could have ever imagined. I go to sleep tired but am looking forward eagerly to my next day.

Team Sri Lanka 2023

Rotary Club of Kelaniya 🇱🇰 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: Sri Lanka, 2023: November 6

November 6, 2023

Today we traveled to Udupilla for our first day of distribution of over 450 bedkits. We were presented with Bo leaves from the children and greeted with a marching student band which led us down to the school.

As we entered the school we were met by a room filled with smiling faces of students dressed in their school uniforms. After the candle lighting ceremony to welcome us, we began our distribution.

The day was very hot and humid but the distribution went smoothly with the help of the Rotary Club of Kelaniya and volunteers.

The children were as delighted to receive the bedkits as we were to distribute them. This is my first trip with SCAW and what an amazing experience it is.

At the end of the day, we enjoy a refreshing drink of coconut water.

Team Sri Lanka 2023

Rotary Club of Kelaniya 🇱🇰 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: Sri Lanka, 2023: November 5

November 5, 2023

The Canadian team has arrived in Colombo, Sri Lanka and are excited to be working alongside our partner, the Rotary Club of Kelaniya.

Thanks to our donors’ gifts of bedkits, together we will be helping 7000 children get a better night's sleep. This is the first time since 2019 that our Canadian team has been able to participate in the Sri Lanka distribution and we are honoured to be back with this amazing Rotary Club!

Team Sri Lanka
Rotary Club of Kelaniya 🇱🇰 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2023: October 12

October 12, 2023

5000 Rwandan children are now sleeping cosy in their new bedkits, thanks to the generosity of our donors and the amazing volunteers who made this project shift from dream to reality! A huge thank you to the Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga for being advocates for the children in their community, volunteering their time and energy to the Sleeping Children project.

Teamwork really does make the dream work!

Team Rwanda 2023

Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2023: October 10

October 10, 2023

Today we spent the day doing two distributions in the city of Kigali, which is also one of the five provinces that make up Rwanda. Initially, the day was overcast but the sun came out partway through the first distribution and we were just able to get the bedkits into the hands of the children before the sky opened up and the rain poured down - but not before we took kids’ pictures with our instant camera and sent some kids home with their very own photo. Within minutes, the storm drains along the sides of the road were rushing streams of water.

The weather dictated that the second distribution was held indoors, in a large hall that was part of a large school. It was more difficult to get pictures done, bedkits handed out and children delivered to their parents this time. But the children were so good and wonderfully patient as they awaited their turn for a picture. We sang songs, played games and blew bubbles and they readily joined in the fun. At recess at the school every window was plastered with kids’ faces looking to what was going on! It was a challenging afternoon but with the help of some amazing Rotarians and other volunteers we got through it and were returned to our hotel in time for dinner. Another day in the books!

Team Rwanda 2023

Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2023: October 9

October 9, 2023

There are three short videos in the original post. Please click the link below that says, “View Original Post” to see them.

Happy Thanksgiving to family and friends back home in Canada. Umuganura or Harvest Day in Rwanda is the first Friday in August. Our first Canadian team in Rwanda has so much to be thankful for. We have a great team that bonded quickly so getting 5000 bedkits to the children has been challenging but successful. We have made solid friendships with the Rotarians here. They have supported us by helping with the children, translating, helping the parents, and by providing solid information and crowd control. Thank you!

Thanks to our partners in Rwanda for the laughter that has helped make the distribution lighter and even more joyful!!

Team Rwanda 2023

Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2023: October 8

October 8, 2023

We started our day heading to districts south of Kigali, travelling almost to the Burundi border for our first distribution of the day. When we arrived at the boarding school, the children were patiently waiting for us. Some of the boarding students who attended the school stepped up to help out, even missing their lunch break to make sure we were able to complete the distribution in good time.

Then we were off to the next site where, once again, we were met by the children waiting for our arrival. Sometimes the children are scared or excited, sometimes reserved or unsure, but their smiles are wonderful to see when pictures are taken, just before they happily receive their bedkit. It’s a real joy, as we leave the site, to see the children and their families heading home, bedkits in hand.

Team Rwanda 2023

Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2023: October 7

October 7, 2023

After six days in Rwanda and travelling and working with the Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga members we are learning about some of the unique aspects of this country in East Africa.

Rwanda is called a Country of a 1000 Hills and as we travelled north to the district of Gicumbi the elevation changed from 1400m in Kigali, the largest city in Rwanda (1.25m population), to over 2,200m (7,000’) at our highest distribution point. We were also at one point just 200m from the Uganda border.

Interesting facts about Rwanda:

The government owns the fertile valley land and cooperatives farm this with the able but poor people working the land and paid by the government - in order to produce food for the population. These lands are producing rice, kidney beans, vegetables, tea, bananas and more as well as fish ponds of tilapia and mudfish (bowfin).

Motorcycle taxis are everywhere and you can simply flag one down for transportation.

Trucks, buses, vans and other public vehicles have a governor to limit speed to 60 km/hour - traffic is far less hectic here than in any other country we have visited.

Umuganga is the name of the event that happens the last Saturday in the month and from 8AM to 12AM the population cleans their neighbourhood and contributes to community service if vulnerable, elderly or others need help. This is reflected everywhere we go. This country is clean!

Every second Sunday from 7AM to 11AM Kigali is car-free and the streets are full of people walking, running, biking and playing.

Gender equality: as of 2018, Rwanda ranks in the top five countries for gender equality according to the Global Gender Gap Report - and we see this every day with noticeable leadership by women.

Fascinating country …

Team Rwanda 2023

Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2023: October 6

October 6, 2023

Today was all about the 604 children who received their bedkits. How wonderful that they will have a good night’s sleep on their new mattresses tucked in with the new blankets.

We did manage to have a little fun with them. They loved the squishy balls and giant size clapper. We engaged them while they waited as some of them had travelled very very far to receive these gifts.

It was amazing to see them carrying their mattresses on their heads with smiles that made us proud to be a part of this project.

Thank you SCAW donors.

Team Rwanda 2023

Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2023: October 5

October 5, 2023

Today was another beautiful day in Rwanda and we settled back in our seats to appreciate the amazing scenery on the way to our distribution site. We have really enjoyed visiting with the Rotarians and other volunteers as we travel together or meet at the distributions. It’s quickly becoming apparent what a really good team we have all formed; working well together to put the children at ease, get the pictures taken and then put the bed kits into the children’s hands so they can begin their journey home. Stories and laughter are regularly shared as we get to know one another better.

This has been a wonderful opportunity to work with like-minded volunteers who share the same goal of making life just a little bit easier for these children and their families. That we are having such a fun time while accomplishing that goal is truly an added bonus.

Team Rwanda 2023

Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2023: October 4

October 4, 2023

It was a beautiful morning as we left Kigali and headed north up the mountains to Byumba in the District of Gicumbi. As we left the city our van was stitched amongst hundreds of motorcycles that threaded their way through bumper to bumper cars, huge trucks , endless bicycles, and pedestrians who scurried through the chaos. On our travel up the mountain, we tailed a truck with two young men holding on tightly to the bumper for miles so they didn’t have to peddle (or trudge) the huge milk cans tied on the back of their seats up to villages miles away.

Up and down the mountain we encountered bikes laden with lumber, bananas, grain bags and so much more.

Rwanda is pristine which is shown by women cleaning the roadways with corn husk brooms while other women plant crops on strips of soil along roadways.

The greatest mode of transportation here though is walking! It is free for everyone. Children raced home along the busy roads as we too headed home once again under the safe hands of Jean Claude at the wheel.

Team Rwanda 2023

Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2023: October 3

October 3, 2023

Day 2 started out as a beautiful, sunny day. We were on the road in good time, passing through some amazing farmland. Fields were on hills so steep they could only be farmed using hand tools. We turned off the paved road and onto a clay road, battered and potholed from all the rains endured during the soon-to-be- ending rainy season. An hour and a half later we arrived at our first distribution for today.

Compared to the bumpy ride to get to the site, the distribution went very smoothly. As we were heading to our second distribution, we were surprised to see the children heading home carrying their new bed kits so many kilometres from where they had received them. It was such a clear message of the importance and value of the gift of a bed kit for these children.

Team Rwanda 2023

Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2023: October 2

October 2, 2023

Day 1 was a first for everyone - the very first distribution for the SCAW/RCKV (Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga) teams. Today we visited two sites. In the morning things went okay at a Kamonyi school. The second site was higher in the hills of Rwanda at a school in Rukomo and was immediately delayed by torrential rain (see and listen to the video). The rain abated (sort of) enough to finish in the dark.

This was a long and challenging day for both teams; however, we learned a lot and most importantly 565 bed kits were successfully given to very appreciative (and wet) children.

Helping the World, One Child at a Time.

Team Rwanda 2023

Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2023: October 1

October 1, 2023

Well we are on our way! We couldn’t tell who was more excited for the first in-person Rwanda distribution - the SCAW team or the Rwanda Rotary team!

After the pre-distribution meeting and a wonderful sponsored dinner we are ready to see 500 children at 4 sites tomorrow and share with them the wonderful donors’ gifts of bedkits!

We look forward to sharing this journey with all our followers but mostly to see and share this journey with the children who lives have been greatly enriched because of the SCAW donors.

Team Rwanda 2023

Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2023: September 30

October 1, 2023

The team has arrived and we were met by Jenipher and family. They have already planned their first meeting for tomorrow with the Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga.

All raring to go!

Stay tuned!

Team Rwanda 2023

Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦