NEW LUC OUTREACH PROJECT
Sleeping Children Around the World (SCAW) is a Canadian charity founded in 1970 by Margaret and Murray Dryden after a trip to India where they saw young children sleeping on the streets. You probably know their sons, NHL goalies Ken and Dave. The next year they returned with 50 bedkits that they carried from Canada and they took pictures of the children sleeping on their mats.
The organization grew until today over 1.6 million kits have been distributed by volunteers in some of the poorest countries in the world based on a percentage of the population makes less than $2 a day.
SCAW has a zero overhead policy which guarantees 100% of every donated dollar goes to the child. Each bedkit costs $35 and every cent is used to buy items for the child. All administration costs, printing, mailing are covered by investment trust set up by the Drydens. No money is spent on advertising. It is all by word of mouth and presentations. You are not contacted again to donate again and you don’t get added to some other charities list.
An army of volunteers work in the office, the Drydens old home in Etobicoke, doing all the necessary paperwork, organizing the Canadian end of each distribution. 13 teams of 7 travelling volunteers go each year to distribute 4-6000 bedkits The bedkits are produced in the country in which they are distributed. This provides employment often with small emerging or home based businesses. Each locale has different items in the bedkits.
SCAW travelling volunteers pay their own way for flights, meals, accommodations and internal travel.
It is the overseas volunteers, our partners in each country, who do the real work. Generally it is a local Rotary club. They order all the bedkit items, then pay to have them shipped to a central place, arrange for packing, and then ship the completed bedkits to the different distribution sites for each daily or twice daily distribution. Several Rotarians also attend each distribution and are invaluable as work horses and translators. The Rotarians also arrange for the choosing of the bedkit recipients which is done with input from school teachers and principals who know the most needy children.
The children who receive the bedkits are 6-12 years of age, 50% girls, 50% boys of all religions and cultures. The bedkits have differing items in each country but all include bedding, clothes and school supplies.
The travelling volunteers have several jobs. First we take a picture of the child in front of a bedkit and this picture is mailed to the donor. Sounds easy but really takes time to line up the kids, seat them, try to get them to sit and smile and shepherd them to where they get their gift. Usually the first gift they have ever received!! We also interview mothers, fathers about the contents of a bedkit to see if there is something different they need. We visit recipients homes to better understand their needs. We examine the-financial records related to bedkit items and we try to visit one or two of the companies who provide items to see working conditions.
There is JOY when the child receives the bedkit. The child gets a good nights SLEEP. They are more comfortable, warm and protected from mosquitoes. For the child’s future there is HOPE now the child has the educational tools needed for school.
On my last trip we interviewed a school principal of a school where 500 children had received bedkits the previous year. He said there was less illness, better attendance, better marks and better attention paid in school.
At this time of year for someone on your gift list please think of improving a child’s life by donating a bedkit. It’s a great gift for grandchildren or those who have everything they need. To do so please visit www.scaw.org.
Thanks, Judi Fenton
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