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SCAW Blog: Sri Lanka, 2024: Aug. 3

And so the 2024 Sri Lanka bedkit distribution has come to an end.

7,000 children who shared their smiles with us, took home the gift so generously given by Sleeping Children donors. The Canadian and Sri Lankan teams will have many, many, memories of these past two weeks . . . children walking home with their bedkits; parent conversations out of the sun in the shade of a tree; that final 7,000th bedkit; and the hand waving thanks as a bus takes the children home.

To all the Rotarians, their wives, and countless volunteers, our heartfelt gratitude for all you have done, not only in the past two weeks, but for the many months leading up to Sri Lanka 2024. Oyata stutiyi, Nanri.

Team Sri Lanka 2024

Rotary Club of Kelaniya 🇱🇰 and SCAW 🇨🇦

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SCAW Blog: Tanzania, 2024: Aug. 2

DAY TEN CELEBRATION
How wonderful to see the children‘s excitement as they go through their backpacks. The notebooks and the school uniforms were certainly a hit.

We are proud to have completed successfully 7500 Bedkits for a grand total of 128, 500 over 24 years.
The sky is the limit for Sleeping Children and our partners in Tanzania-Upendo 🇹🇿 under the leadership of Mama Wandoa.

Lala Salama
Upendo 🇹🇿 + SCAW 🇨🇦

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SCAW Blog: Tanzania, 2024: July 31

SCHOOL BELLS ARE RINGING🔔

Back in 2019 a team member became very interested in the unique materials that the schools used for ringing their bells. Irene made a point of trying out every bell at each site.

Two Sleeping Children volunteers/teachers read her article in our Trip Newsletter and wanted to donate their handbells, which were given to them as retirement gifts, to two Tanzanian schools. We were happy to have Mama Wandoa present one to an appreciative principal and students.

During this year’s distribution it was fun to find, see and hear the bells being used at our schools.

Lala Salama,
Team Tanzania 2024
Upendo 🇹🇿 + SCAW 🇨🇦

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SCAW Blog: Tanzania, 2024: July 31

Meet Khalfani

Khalfani has been our driver since we arrived in Tanzania July 20th and will continue to August 3rd.

He was born in Tanzania, is married and a father of six. Khalfani has a warm disposition.  He stays calm through the most chaotic journeys to our distribution sites. This is his first time driving for Upendo and Sleeping Children.

 He was a bit shy at first but has really opened up over the days with the help of our team member who speaks Swahili.  He has become an integral part of our team at the distribution sites, helping wherever he’s needed, especially when the children are lining up to have their pictures taken.

Lala Salama

Team Tanzania 2024

Upendo 🇹🇿+ SCAW 🇨🇦

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SCAW Blog: Tanzania, 2024: July 29

Our visit to the mattress factory was once again an eye opener. The host , Dhilip, was the owner and was extremely gracious and welcoming. 

 He took us on a tour of his facility which included 380 employees working in a plastics area and a mattress making area. 

 He has a 23 year relationship with the Tanzanian Overseas Partners which we value. 

Lala Salama,
Team Tanzania 2024
Upendo 🇹🇿 + SCAW 🇨🇦

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SCAW Blog: Tanzania, 2024: July 28

LOVE!!

By: Nathan Kisaka (Age 17 - son of Benjamin, grandson of Mama Wandoa)

Today I’m going to talk about love, because I want all of you who are reading this to experience true love.

I thought it best to give you some insight into what I feel whenever I carry out my job during the distribution. If you do not already know, then you might become curious, by donating, or even coming to a distribution site, and you will see what true love is like.

My job is the backpack station and I help the children by putting the backpack on them before sending them to receive their mattresses. I call them over to me with words, or sign language, and I never forget to smile at them, I mean really beam at them. Some children may look at you confused, but when you smile at them, the majority will reciprocate your love.  It is a confusing day for them, and the children aren’t always the best at regulating their emotions, as I’m sure you parents out there know all too well. 

A lot of you may not realize this but these kids often see you as angels. They are thankful, ever so grateful for you.

I pick up a backpack and I talk to them in a soothing, gentle tone since they are only children. When I send them away I take one last glimpse at their eyes as now the child will go home and finally sleep well at night.


Lala Salama,
Team Tanzania 2024
Upendo 🇹🇿 + SCAW 🇨🇦

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SCAW Blog: Tanzania, 2024: July 28

On our day off we wanted to learn more about the history and culture of Tanzania by exploring two museums, going to local arts co-operatives, listening to stories from our guide Tetula, attending church services (Catholic and Lutheran) and having some team fun by eating home made crisps at Coco Beach!

We are back to work on Monday. We will have a guest from Zambia joining us as his charity might be interested in partnering with Sleeping Children.

Looking forward to seeing the children’s smiles again tomorrow.

Lala Salama.
Team Tanzania 2024
Upendo 🇹🇿 + SCAW 🇨🇦

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SCAW Blog: Sri Lanka, 2024: July 27

These pictures are a glimpse into the team's adventures during our Sri Lanka distribution.

A typical photo site

Entrance to a Hindu temple

Planting the future

Team members with invaluable translator at a parent meeting

Team effort setting up the bedkit for the photo shoot

We are all greeted with the lighting of the friendship lamp

Lunch is served!

Team Sri Lanka with the Rotary Club of Kelaniya, and many, many dedicated local volunteers. Thanks to you all!

Team Sri Lanka 2024

Rotary Club of Kelaniya 🇱🇰 and SCAW 🇨🇦

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SCAW Blog: Sri Lanka, 2024: July 27

I'm confident that there have been plenty of stories from the Sri Lankan 2024 team regarding smiling children, thankful parents and bountiful feasts provided by our hosts. Today, I'm sending pics of the cheeky monkeys that greeted me on my balcony this morning and later in the evening on my return.

The team completed two distributions today, one in Anthonypuram and the other in Murukkan. Along the drive it is not unusual to encounter herds of cows crossing the road, slowing our journey. The northern part of Sri Lanka is rural with an abundance of agriculture.

It is a difficult life but our gifts of bedkits make their lives a little brighter.

Team Sri Lanka, 2024

Rotary Club of Kelaniya 🇱🇰 and SCAW 🇨🇦

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SCAW Blog: Tanzania, 2024: July 27

In our first home visit we followed a teacher and his 11 year old student through many alleys and dirt roads to a 2 room house. There lived a mother and 7 other people. The mother was housing her 3 children - the 11 year old, a child in secondary school, an older daughter who had a job at a local Chinese factory, and the daughter’s little 2 year old!

Also living there were her 2 nephews whom she was supporting because her sister had passed away, and lastly, there was another nephew who has malaria!

She showed us where the new mattress would be placed and was extremely happy and very grateful for all the contents in the bedkit.

There was no kitchen in the area but a small hallway where we expected she did some cooking on a stove like in the picture below!

When we spoke to the teacher he did confirm that the children at the school received a meager lunch that was subsidized by the government. This might be the only meal the young student received for the day!

After our visit the teacher walked the young boy back to school as his school day was not yet finished. They go to school from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. It was certainly an enlightening visit.

Team Tanzania 2024
Upendo 🇹🇿 + SCAW 🇨🇦

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SCAW Blog: Sri Lanka, 2024: July 25

Tears and rainbows.💖

Thoughts of the day:

During the bedkit distributions we all have the opportunity to talk one-on-one with the children's parents. This helps us to understand their environment and home life. It can be a very emotional time and tears are often shed.

On one occasion we were interrupted by a lady requesting bed kits for her school (where the children were all orphans). Unfortunately this was not possible this year, we explained to her. But if she left us her contact details, we would pass them on. On hearing what the lady from the orphanage was saying, the mother that I was with, immediately offered to give up her child's gift in order that at least one orphan would have a bedkit. Despite having very little herself, she was willing to give up her gift.

This truly was a "rainbow moment" showing friendship and compassion (an example for all of us).

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace." (Jimi Hendrix)

Team Sri Lanka 2024

Rotary Club of Kelaniya 🇱🇰 and SCAW 🇨🇦

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SCAW Blog: Sri Lanka, 2024: July 25

We had two small distributions today - the first just 180 kits and the second 320 this afternoon.  We were warmly welcomed to both sites and entertained by dance routines by some of the students.  The two pictures below show a grade 3 classroom. 

The grade 3 teacher and a few of her students.

The last bedkit presented today.

Team Sri Lanka, 2024

Rotary Club of Kelaniya 🇱🇰 and SCAW 🇨🇦

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SCAW Blog: Tanzania, 2024: July 25

A Special Celebration🌺

At the request of Mama Wandoa, we started our morning honouring the memory of Dave Dryden. Mama wants everyone to know that she and her family miss him very much.

Another successful day with lots of wonderful interactions with our children. As always our Upendo volunteers work very hard alongside us.

Lala Salama,
Team Tanzania 2024
Upendo🇹🇿 + SCAW🇨🇦

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SCAW Blog: Sri Lanka, 2024: July 23

Today we did a distribution of 984 bedkits with the Jaffna Rotary Club, at St Patrick’s College in Jaffna, located in northern Sri Lanka.

The students from 9 different schools who received bedkits today are a reflection of the Hindu faith of this particular community. The area around Jaffna is in the process of being rebuilt after a 30-year civil war between the Sri Lankan government and Tamal extremists ended in May 2009.

After the distribution today, the Jaffna Rotarian president organized lunch at Ammachis, an outdoor venue made up of individual kiosks where women who are struggling financially are able to rent the spaces from the government. Each woman serves a different menu, keeping the profits for themselves.

In the evening, we attended a dinner hosted by the Jaffna Rotary Club as a thank you to SCAW for the bedkits distributed to children in the community.

Team Sri Lanka 2024

Rotary Club of Jaffna 🇱🇰 and SCAW 🇨🇦

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SCAW Blog: Tanzania, 2024: July 24

Today we visited a school with a population of 3444 kindergarten to grade 7 students that included 31 totally blind and visually impaired students who live at the school during the week and may go home on the weekend. 

Team Tanzania, 2023: Upendo 🇹🇿 + SCAW 🇨🇦

 The staff were amazing and very accommodating to our group. 

 At the end of the day we enjoyed some fun with the level 7 class of 384 students who were in an outdoor class studying for their high school enrolment exams. They were outside because there simply was not a classroom big enough for them. 

We taught them the Hand Jive and they sang us a song called I Love my School. And although we were hot and tired we left revitalized and satisfied that 750 children including the 31 visually impaired children would have a better sleep tonight. 

 Thank you SCAW donors. 

 Team Tanzania, 2024

Upendo 🇹🇿 + SCAW 🇨🇦

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SCAW Blog: Sri Lanka, 2024: July 23

Yesterday the team arrived in Vavnia, where we completed 2 distributions. We were welcomed with beautiful smiles and then presented with flower garlands to wear around our necks.

After the first school distribution, we traveled a short distance to visit a home of one of the children.  It was a modest home with 2 rooms: a kitchen and a bedroom. 

The entire family of 5 slept in one room on the concrete floor.  We saw that the family members use mats and blankets similar to the ones that we provide in the bedkit, to make their sleep more comfortable. This visit was a very humbling experience for the team as it showcased the importance of this work which supports healthy sleep for these children and their families.

Team Sri Lanka 2024

Rotary Club of Kelaniya 🇱🇰 and SCAW 🇨🇦

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SCAW Blog: Tanzania, 2024: July 23

I feel privileged and blessed to be part of the SCAW Tanzania 2024 team. Being a new volunteer with SCAW, I have learned much and been thoroughly impressed with the distribution process in Tanzania.

On each of the two days to date, 750 mattresses and backpacks were unloaded, the site for picture taking was set up and a short meeting held with parents to explain the importance of sleep and how their children will get the bedkit items. Then the children were guided by team members and volunteers through the process, which meant having their names called and being registered, lining up to have a picture taken in front of a displayed bedkit with a label displaying the donor's information.

The amount of the donation determines how many children are in the picture.  Volunteers organized the children in appropriate sized groups and ensured they were placed well for the photo. A photographer took the picture, the label was removed and the donation number recorded by a team member referred to as a checker. Next, the children were guided to where they were each given their mattress and backpack which was filled with items. Backpacks were color-coded for size (big/small) and ones for girls were identified with colored ties. The flow of the distribution  process was truly impressive; but that wasn't all!  At both distributions to date, we ended with a perfect count ... 750 children's pictures taken to match 750 donations made and 750 gender-appropriate bedkits for 750 children.

As a newbie to SCAW I am not sure what I expected, but the ease of flow and the accuracy of the distribution process have exceeded my expectations and were truly impressive. I am glad to be part of this team. Way to go Team Tanzania 2024!!!!!!

Lala salama,

Team Tanzania, 2024

Upendo🇹🇿 + SCAW🇨🇦

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SCAW Blog: Tanzania, 2024: July 22

And so it begins … Day 1 of the actual distribution saw 750 children heading home for a good night’s sleep. 

 

Mama Wandoa’s son Benjamin, who flies to Tanzania every summer to help, explained to the parents in Swahili, interpreting what the team leader was saying about the contents of the bedkit and what their child would be receiving, emphasizing that every item presented to them would be in the bedkit for their child. He was very specific about the importance of sleep and the benefits it provides for their children, especially during the school day. 

Benjamin speaking Swahili to inform the parents/guardians.

Although the temps were hot and the day was long, our team of 5 felt so satisfied that the 750 children today would not only sleep well with their new mattresses and mosquito nets but that they would be well prepared for their next days in school. 

Contents of bedkit

 Stay tuned for more adventures from our Tanzania team!

 

Lala Salama -Sleep Well

Team Tanzania, 2024

Upendo 🇹🇿 + SCAW 🇨🇦

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SCAW Blog: Tanzania, 2024: July 21

WE ARE READY TO GO!


Such a special day to go to Mama Wandoa’s house and to have our team all together. Here we are at the end of our Pre-Distribution meeting celebrating fellowship and a promise that 7500 children will be sleeping better because of our hard work over the next two weeks.

WE SALUTE MAMA WANDOA AND UPENDO🇹🇿

Today was very special as we spent the afternoon at Mama Wandoa’s home hearing her talk about her history of working with Sleeping Children for 24 years. Benjamin, Wendy and Nathan explained how the cottage industry put together 7500 backpacks starting back in January using rooms for cutting patterns, sewing and ironing, all in Mama’s home.

You really have to see it to believe what an incredible feat this is. Ten tailors worked diligently to ensure that the children will receive quality clothing, covers and kangas. The children will receive 16 items in their backpacks and you will hear more tomorrow about the contents after Day One of our distribution.


All the backpacks are stored in her bedrooms right now and starting early tomorrow 750 backpacks will be loaded onto Mama’s truck.


We are very excited to be working so closely with Upendo as we view ourselves as one big team.

Tonight we go to sleep early as our van leaves at 7:00 am.
Lala Salama.

Team Tanzania, 2024

Upendo 🇹🇿 + SCAW 🇨🇦

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SCAW Blog: Sri Lanka, 2024: July 21

Our team thought we'd share just two of the many heartfelt messages we received from children who received your bedkit gifts.

The first handwritten note was read aloud by a girl at the school to kick off the distribution. Though her voice quivered, she was so proud of herself for delivering the sentiments in English. She was happy to share this message with you all.

The second note came from bedkit recipients. The teachers had students of all ages write a variety of adorable thank you notes which they presented to the Rotary Club of Kelaniya and the Sleeping Children team. 

There have been so many moments of sincere gratitude from the kids, parents and teachers. Thank you to all our supporters!

Team Sri Lanka 2024

Rotary Club of Kelaniya 🇱🇰 and SCAW 🇨🇦

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