As we close this first ever distribution in the West African country of Cameroon, we thank our Overseas Volunteer Partner, the United Action for Children of Cameroon, for all their hard work and effort to bring the gift of sleep to 500 children. These photos capture a few special moments . . . mercis beaucoup . . . au revoir Cameroon.
Team Cameroon, 2024
United Action for Children of Cameroon 🇨🇲 and SCAW 🇨🇦
Yesterday we met our team in Nepal, the Rotary Club Himalayan Golfers.
The meeting was led by their President Mr Bijay Badadur Shrestha. We were all introduced as well as all the club members present. We discussed the upcoming distribution and answered questions back and forth.
We then went for coffee and ended our meeting with Linda and Carol going on a site-seeing tour of Kathmandu, and Michael and myself playing a round of golf with Bijay and his golf teammate Daman Bahadur Ghale, next year’s Rotary club president.
The golf was fun but the Himalayan team trounced our Canadian golfers. Fun was had by all.
Team Nepal, 2024
Rotary Club Himalayan Golfers🇳🇵+ SCAW 🇨🇦
We are literally and mentally on top of the world for the first distribution in Nepal. Bhairaj Panday (Rotarian) and Piku (Rotoractor) welcomed us warmly at the airport.
We begin at 8 tomorrow morning with our pre-distribution meeting when we will meet members of Rotary, see the bedkit items and learn more about the distribution sites. We have been bombarded by “namastes” since arrival. Here it means, “The divine in me honours the divine in you.”
Namaste from Team Nepal
Rotary Club of Himalayan Golfers🇳🇵+ SCAW 🇨🇦
💖Sunshine and smiles 💖
The cattle quietly roam past the hotel as is usual every morning, holding their heavily horned heads high until they find a morsel of sparse grass.
Today, after so many overcast days, it is sunny and the sky is clear - a perfect day for our last distribution at Bomona Gare.
We set out along the bumpy road following two trucks, one piled high with brightly-coloured mattresses and the other full of the rest of the bedkits - backpacks that are yellow, orange, blue and black croc style shoes and numerous other items.
Upon arrival at the school, which normally had over 700 children, we were delighted to find lots of space outside, and since it was Saturday no-one else was there. We had time to play with the children. There was lots of laughter as well as giggles, jumping and diving to retrieve the frisbee. We also took a few goofy photos of the team.
It was a beautiful area and once we had set up, the distribution went very quickly.
Before we knew it it was over. Everyone was so enthusiastic and helpful, always welcoming and warm-hearted. We will miss the friendship and love.
Thank you to each and every one who made this distribution possible. 💖
Team Cameroon, 2024
United Action for Children of Cameroon 🇨🇲 and SCAW 🇨🇦
Today is our third day in the country and our second day of distribution. We are starting to see a pattern in how the time works here. For example, when they are planning to get us at 10 they actually arrive past noon because of the traffic. So, after 2 hours resting time in the lobby, we hit the road to meet the kids at Yato primary school and, what was supposed to take around 30 minutes, finally took us over and hour and a half since we had to wait while our driver and his partners got the driver’s license check point solved and then we had to wait for the numerous herds of cattle wandering the highway.
The school is located just in front of a rubber tree plantation. It was like being home in an old-style sugar shack, but the sap of the trees looks like thick marshmallow.
The trees are very big and majestic which created a very nice feeling of order and peace.
We had to walk the last 500 meters of the road as our car couldn’t go further.
What a nice welcome we got from the kids when we entered the schoolyard! They gave us a lot of help to set everything up and, in no time, we had the 150 bedkits distributed. Before we left, Charles played some soccer with the kids.
We came back to the hotel without any surprises and discussed with our OVP about how the day went and what we should do tomorrow.
A good shower before dinner made our day a complete joy and, as things change often here, we had 3 plates of chicken and 2 fish because they didn’t have a third portion of fish available. We were lucky they had 3 chickens 😊
Notre troisième jour dans le pays et deuxième distribution. Nous commençons a comprendre comment le temps fonctionne ici… Lorsqu’ils prévoient venir nous chercher à 10, ils arrivent passé midi… le trafic étant le responsable de ces longs délais. Donc, après 2 heures à nous reposer dans le lobby de l’hôtel, nous avons pris la route pour rejoindre les enfants à l’école Yato, école primaire. Mais, le trajet qui devait nous prendre 30 minutes nous a pris plus d’une heure trente car nous avons dû attendre que notre chauffeur et ses collègues règlent le dossier de la vérification des permis de conduire…et, les nombreux troupeaux de taureaux qui se promenaient près et même sur l’autoroute…
L’école est située juste en face d’une belle plantation d’arbre à caoutchouc. L’endroit nous a fait penser aux entailles des érables dans nos belles cabanes à sucre tradionnelles. La sève a l’apparence de guimauve épaisse, ce qui est très diffèrent de notre sirop! Les arbres sont très majestueux, tout en rangées et matures…. Cela nous fait sentir en paix et en tranquillité d’avoir passé du temps dans cette forêt!
Nous avons marché le dernier 500 mètres puisque notre voiture ne pouvait pas se faufiler plus loin entre les arbres. Nous avons eu droit à un chaleureux accueil des enfants dès notre entrée dans la cour d’école! Ils nous ont bien aidé à tout préparer et, en un rien de temps, les 150 ensembles de lits étaient distribués. Avant de quitter, Charles a pris le temps de jouer un peu de soccer avec les enfants pour leur plus grand bonheur!
Nous sommes revenus à l’hôtel sans surprises et, nous avons discuté avec l’équipe locale qui nous aident de notre journée et avons planifié également notre prochaine distribution qui aura lieu demain.
Une bonne douche avant le souper nous a apporté beaucoup de joie et, comme tout change souvent ici, nous avons eu 3 plats de poulet et 2 de poisson car, ils n’avaient pas le troisième poisson qu’ils nous avaient proposés… nous sommes heureux qu’ils aient au moins une portion de poulet pour le remplacer 😊
Team Cameroon, 2024
United Action for Children of Cameroon 🇨🇲 and SCAW 🇨🇦
Today our OVP (Orock) arranged a car with a driver and a tour guide for us to do some exploring.
We exchanged our money for Central American Francs as the hotel would only accept cash, as does everywhere else here it seems. The exchange happened through the car window with a street money exchanger. We felt lucky to have our guide with us!!!!
Off we went to an artisan market which was a fascinating place. Our guide then took us to a local restaurant for an early dinner. It was an interesting day!
Team Cameroon, 2024
United Action for Children of Cameroon 🇨🇲 and SCAW 🇨🇦
From yesterday: Arrived at the hotel . . . 1 in the morning . . . ready for bed!
And today: The team had a good night's sleep in readiness for a get-to-know-you meeting with Orock and his team. What we were not prepared for was . . . "We are distributing 200 bedkits today!" This was a change of plans from the November 15th start date we were anticipating.
The equipment was hurriedly gathered . . . and we missed nothing! A good night’s sleep helped us, no doubt.
With lots of helpers on hand for this first ever Cameroon 🇨🇲+ SCAW 🇨🇦 distribution the day went smoothly. This was a great start for what we hope will be a long term relationship.
The children, like children all over the world, were an absolute joy!
Team Cameroon, 2024
United Action for Children of Cameroon 🇨🇲 and SCAW 🇨🇦
Today was our last distribution - 460 bedkits. It was a very well organized event that took place about an hour and a half from our hotel in a town called Cuyuta.
There were many sugar cane fields and banana tree farms along the way. There were also beautifully arranged fruits and vegetables in roadside kiosks and, in contrast, just as many abandoned old cars and trucks and automotive parts along the way.
With the price of gas being about 5 CAD per litre, one understands why there were so many motorcycles on the road . . . competing to lead the way.
We arrive to a school yard filled with eager children (and mostly mothers) greeting us with Canadian flags.
Beautiful floral arrangements decorated the distribution area.
The SCAW team was introduced to Guatemala’s national bird - the quetzal.
It was a very hot day and the volunteers worked very hard. Tents protected the children who patiently waited their turn. Bottled water was distributed non-stop to keep children and adults well hydrated. Fruit was also provided.
There are 700 students at this 2 storey school but no running water.
A fun challenge for SCAW volunteers today was to prepare 58 students for a single picture. We were very thankful for a long staircase located in the shade where all the children were carefully placed and photographed.
On the ride back to the hotel, a welcome but loud thunderstorm cooled the air.
May the dear children we saw today sleep well and wake rested tomorrow morning after their first night on their cotton-filled mattresses.
Team Guatemala, 2024
Seeds of Innovation for Sustainable Development 🇬🇹 and SCAW 🇨🇦
Today, for the first time, we didn't walk to the distribution site. We were picked up from our hotel at about 9 a.m. and we travelled for about 20 minutes to an elementary school site. On the way we drove through villages which were destroyed by the volcanic eruption in 2018.
We distributed 22 bedkits to excited children. Then we returned to Alotenago to distribute 436 bedkits. A number of these children had health challenges, including paralysis and deafness. It was delightful to see the smiles and hear a few children say “thank you” among the many “gracias,” after they received their bedkits.
This was our longest distribution day so far. We finished at 6:21 pm and went to our hotel for dinner.
Many parents and older siblings carry the bedkits on their heads while others use the local taxis called tuk-tuk.
Team Guatemala, 2024
Seeds of Innovation for Sustainable Development 🇬🇹 and SCAW 🇨🇦
The majority of our bedkit distributions will be held in the community centre in the town which is situated close to 3 volcanoes. Mount Fuego is active and has minor eruptions throughout the day.
Today we had the opportunity to meet 421 excited children that were the recipients of a bedkit.
Following our distribution we visited the home of one of the bedkit recipients. When you visit the home there is no denying the families need of and appreciation for the bedkit. Parents are very welcoming and show great pride in their children.
Shortly after our visit a truck arrived with additional bed kits for our day 3 distribution.
We walk from our small hotel to the community centre for the distribution and get a a close up view of people’s daily life in this busy town. Overall, this was a very successful day two distribution.
Team Guatemala, 2024
Seeds of Innovation for Sustainable Development 🇬🇹 and SCAW 🇨🇦
Today was SCAW’s first ever distribution in Alotenango, Guatemala!
The four member SCAW team was treated to a special welcome ceremony by the lead organizer Semilla de Innovacion para el Desarrollo Sostenible (loosely translates as “Seeds of Innovation for Sustainable Development”). In attendance were the mayor and deputy mayor, educational staff, parents and children. Children dressed in ceremonial clothes proudly performed their traditional dances.
This first distribution ran very smoothly thanks to a significant number of eager and physically strong volunteers.
Key features of the bedkit were a thick (4 inch) brightly coloured cotton mattress and a comfy pillow. These items had been specifically requested by the families and will undoubtedly provide the children with a superior sleep environment. The bedkit also included clothing, a fitted sheet, a mosquito net and school supplies.
The mattresses were large. Some children stood as high as their rolled up bedkit!
The distribution was a lively event as a marching band of students performed accompanied by dancers.
These performers drew a large crowd outside the hall and played a wide range of music including some Christmas jingles.
Wishing all these special children a night of wonderful deep sleep on their new mattresses.
Duerme bien esta noche!!
Team Guatemala, 2024
Seeds of Innovation for Sustainable Development 🇬🇹 and SCAW 🇨🇦
A Very Short Post:
We were delayed several hours because the bus/van broke down. However, all is well and we are looking forward to our distribution and seeing the smiling faces of the children.
Team Guatemala, 2024
Seed of Innovation for Sustainable Development 🇬🇹 and SCAW 🇨🇦
The distribution of 1,000 bedkits today was successful - whew! The site was good, with lots of space for kids and parents. Having parents able to see from above the photo and bedkit site was great and Margo did good work directing traffic handing out bedkits.
And of course the grand finale has the Rotary and SCAW teams together for the final photo
Team Rwanda, 2024
Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦
Up early today as we have two sites and a long drive ahead of us. As we arrived back at Karama, children and families were already lined up. We managed to complete the remaining 100 bedkits in less than an hour before heading back on the road.
Kinazi was our next destination where we received a nice welcome from the Mayor. As we made introductions, kids and parents cheered loudly as we explained the items in the bedkit. With temperatures dipping below 20 (cold for Africa!) the blanket was a special hit. The 500 bedkit distribution went extremely smooth today, and we were on the road again before we knew it. Next up is a 5 hour drive to Rubavu, near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo.
One interesting observation is the number of children wearing Christmas and Disney themed clothing. It's a good reminder that as seasons change and fads evolve, the circular economy is evident in Rwanda.
Team Rwanda, 2024
Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦
After a much needed rest day, the team departed south for Huye, formerly known as Butare. The journey began with a long and slow crawl up one of the steeper hills behind a transport truck that just barely made it to the top. We enjoyed watching the bicycles hitch a ride using the bumper of the truck as it rolled along.
As the road opened up we took in the lush greenery of the rolling hills of Rwanda. Huye is home to the National University, and was once a leading candidate to become the capital of Rwanda after independence, but lost out to Kigali due to its central location. Now, Huye is the fourth largest town in Rwanda with a population of 55,000.
On the outskirts of town, we turned off the main road onto a rain-rutted, red clay trail, until we arrived at Karama. The site was large, situated in a valley surrounded by tall hills. Today's progress was slow, but steady. This particular area was one of the more impoverished, with many disabled and barefoot children. The need here was very evident.
As the day progressed, dark clouds turned to torrential rain with mothers, children and the team all seeking shelter. A decision was made to pause the remainder of the distribution for the day, and continue the next morning. Our team shuttled back for an overnight stay in Huye to rest up for what will be a busy day tomorrow.
Team Rwanda, 2024
Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦
Today is our second last day in the Lake Kivu area and the distribution was cancelled due to bedkit transport issues. Tomorrow will be a double distribution day (2 x 500) followed by a four hour drive back to Kigali ahead of a factory visit and then a flight home on Saturday.
Today we enjoyed a local chicken lunch on the shore of Lake Kivu.
Wish us luck tomorrow!
Team Rwanda, 2024
Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦
An excellent day, today, in all sorts of ways!
This is our eighth day of distributing bedkits and it took place right in Rubavu Town, about 10 minutes from where we are staying. The site was a school with children from grade 1 to grade 11 and the principal helped us by providing access to three classrooms which we used for handing out the bedkits as well as a space for taking pictures of the children receiving them.
In the classroom there was a timetable for the grade 5 students and it shows how much time these children spend in school, starting at 8:45 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday. Students are provided a lunch by the school each day, a common practice in Rwandan schools. Blackboards are still being used with chalk for writing. Here is a picture of the timetable in one classroom:
We successfully distributed 500 bedkits today and thanks to the weather holding (i.e. no rain or thunderstorms), an excellent, hardworking Rwandan volunteer group from the local area as well as the Overseas Partner Volunteer Rotarians on site, all was done within five hours, our best time yet.
We try and make the experience of the children receiving the bedkits as fun and memorable as possible. Our team leader, Doug, is a master at this using his oversized clappers and bubble wands to the delight of the children. Some samples of Doug’s talents are pictured below.
When we finished the bedkit distribution, we then headed out to do a home visit. From where we distributed the bedkits to where the family lived, was about 5 kilometres. On the way there we saw other families on their way home carrying their bedkits. They had big smiles on their faces and looked so happy as we drove by.
At our home visit, we met a family where the husband and wife had two children and had received a bedkit this morning. They walked the five km home and were there to greet us. They lived in a one bedroom, brick/concrete three room part of a house. We were shown the main room and kitchen. The mattress was a very welcome addition so that the little girl had a place to sleep on her own without having to share the communal bed. The family was very happy and appreciative to get the rest of the bedkit which will, no doubt, be put to very good use.
The team worked very well today to ensure that another 500 children will get a good night’s sleep.
For the children . . . .
Team Rwanda, 2024
Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦
Today’s adventure!
We were delayed with today’s distribution until the afternoon so being able to sleep longer and relax in the morning was a treat. Our team strolled down to Kivu Lake, giving us a chance to explore the area. Then off we went to our distribution. Thank goodness for our wonderful driver, Jean Claude, as he maneuvered us through the rough roads of Mahoko! The team had to get out of the van while he safely got us over this hole in the road (pictured below). There was a street market going on so everyone was watching.
Around lunchtime we arrived at an alternate site from what was originally planned and we were greeted by many wonderful nursery school children who just wanted hugs and boy did they get them. It was a Catholic school with 250 nursery school age children and 1250 senior students. The headmaster graciously canceled school in the afternoon so we could use his school for our distribution!
Before the senior students left we watched and participated in a little basketball. Apparently the game of basketball is taken quite seriously in Rwanda and these boys did not disappoint!
Before the students went home we were able to engage in some English conversation with them and as you can see in the photo below, English was one of the subjects being taught. One young man in a group asked me, “How can I learn better English like you?” to which I answered, “Well I was a teacher and these 2 ladies are nurses and the best answer is to stay in school and study,” to which he replied, “I will do that!”
When all students had cleared out of the school we began to give out the 500 bedkits. Of course we had some help at the beginning to get the mattresses in place.
We also had help as the children left the gated school to find their parents.
It was another successful day here in Rwanda with 500 more children sleeping well, despite the rainy day!
Team Rwanda, 2024
Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦
First Rwanda Road Trip
Home base has been the capital city, Kigali, but at the end of the week we headed east a few hours to the district of Gatsibo. We went to three distribution sites over two days with an overnight in a hotel in Kabarore. This was challenging for the Rotary and SCAW teams but successful although we ended in the dark the first day using car headlights to help take the final pictures. On the road trip we saw interesting types of road conveyances and then we saw the extensive cooperative, as well as agriculture in the lush valleys (Rwanda is the country of 1,000 hills) with rice, kidney beans, bananas, potatoes, tea and more.
Our team is great, and we are having fun with the children, parents and the Rotary members as you can see in the team photo with bubbles.
And we ended the evening in Kabarore sampling the local Banana wine – which was a uniquely new taste – and look!
We are travelling back to yesterday’s site to finish since lightning and torrential rain shut it down - it will be a big day with two sites one hour apart and then a 4-5 hour drive to the western sites.
The view from my hotel room is above and there is a bus station that emits VERY loud revs starting at 5:30 am.
Team Rwanda, 2024
Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦
It was a good day!
It is a big operation to organize 500 children to receive their bedkits with contents of the right size: dresses for the girls, shorts and t-shirts for the boys, sandals, a basin for washing, sheets, a blanket, three workbooks, two pens, a mosquito net, a backpack for school and a mattress for a good night’s sleep. Oh, and there is a language challenge as well which makes it really interesting as do some of the cultural norms! It is a great learning experience for us all. And, at the end of the day, like magic, there are happy parents/guardians and children on their way home.
Rwanda is a recently added country for our distributions and SCAW has been working very hard with the Overseas Volunteer Partner (OVP), the Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga, to provide bedkits to various parts of the country where they are most needed. It is a tremendous undertaking given that the OVP sources the contents of the bedkits, organizes their assembly, and then, after selecting the various distribution sites, gets them to the sites. Once there, the distribution process of registering the children, getting their picture taken and handing out the bedkits is always a challenge, especially to do it in a timely manner. And then we have to get the children back to the parents. So, it has been a learning process for all involved.
Our distribution site was a local government area and included a small compound of confiscated bikes and motorcycles. Here are our fearless team leaders hard at work!
While the children and families were waiting, ‘Bubbles’ AKA Doug, entertained the children and adults alike. There were lots of happy smiles and delighted laughter.
Team Rwanda, 2024
Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦
