Our main speaker for the evening was our own Ralf Soeder who spoke to us about his incredible journey to India with “Sleeping Children Around the World (SCAW)” to deliver bed kits to needy children.
Ralf was introduced by Michael Conway who emphasized Ralf’s Touch and See approach to Rotary. Being a Rotarian for over 24 years, Ralf has been on many trips including South Africa, Ghana, The Dominican Republic and India where he participated in many of Rotary’s International projects.
Ralf began his presentation by stating that he got interested through fellow Rotarian Gary Comerford and that he volunteered to man the booth at the Rotary International Convention in Toronto.
The Kit distribution was done in the area of Belgaum near Goa. A donation of $35 is used completely for the purchase of all the material and supplies that go into each kit. Volunteers pay their own way to get there. The organization was started by Murray Dryden, of “Dryden” Hockey fame, with his wife 50 years ago in 1970. 1.5 Million Kits have already been distributed.
There is a separate trust administered by the Rotary Club of Belgaum, with Rotarians on Board. The trust also coordinates the other Rotary clubs conducting the distribution.
During the trip, 8,000 bed kits were distributed in a period of 2 weeks. All the students who receive the kits are vetted and they make their own way to the distribution location and back. Rotarians do the interviews. The ration for accepting a student to those interviewed is 3:1 so the distribution of 8,000 bed kits meant that approximately 24,000 students were interviewed.
There were different distribution locations where approximately 50 volunteers gather and work on the distribution of bed kits. The largest site had approximately 1,400 recipients.
The kits include a sleeping mat, clothes, footwear, supplies and a backpack. 80-90% of the donors are from Canada. The contents are sourced locally, therefore there is no shipping cost. The Rotarians are also excellent negotiators and can get a great deal with good value.
At the distribution sites, there are checkpoints to make sure that each student receives their bed kit and a smiling face is drawn on their thumbs with a marker in order to make sure no one gets two kits.
Every donor gets a picture of the children they donate to with the laid-out bed kit. Ralf was happily surprised to see a picture taken with Fellow Rotarian Michael Conway’s name and The Rotary Club of Oakville on the plaque.
Everyone was warmly greeted with a welcome banner for the Rotarians from Canada. Most of the distribution was done outdoors in the scorching heat except for one event that was held indoors, and the Rotarians were greeted with a standing ovation and a cheering crowd! Ralf said that he felt like a Rock Star.
Ralf said that one day he drew faces on 700 thumbs and shook hands with over 1,200 people. Two weeks later, he could not be within 6 feet of the next person!
They had to slow down the flow of the kids so that they could enjoy the experience and have a chance to thank them back. Everyone shared the duties so that everyone had a chance to experience everything that needed to be done.
One person was assigned to do interviews each day. They were asked about their family situation, where they live, what items they appreciate, and what they do not need.
Ralf showed many pictures, one of which was of a family’s home that consisted of a living room and a kitchen with dirt floors. The family slept in the living room, and the sleeping mat was truly needed. The distribution process impacts the whole village.
Ralf also spoke a little about Rotary in India. He noted that clubs there are involved in large and big effort projects, members are mostly leading business owners, and that Rotarians are a lot less “hands-on” than Rotarians in Canada.
He visited a swimming facility in Belgaum where Rotary had funded two large swimming pools for under privileged and “Differently” Abled individuals. He saw a group of blind swimmers being taught how to swim. Knowing how to swim not only provides children with the capability to be safe around water, but also affords them the independence to go to places where there is a water without fear and without having to be accompanied. He also met a Para-Olympic swimmer who trained at that particular swimming pool.
Ralf then took questions from the Rotarians and guests and Gary Comerford also commented as to his involvement with this wonderful organization and that the Rotary Club of Oakville had been instrumental in its success by donating the convention booth and through the involvement of Rotarians like Ron White, John Smith, Paul Bannon and George Farrow. Gary also did a distribution trip in Belgaum and was instrumental in the success of Sleeping Children Around the World.
George Vincent thanks Ralf for his inspiring presentation and Mike Henry announced the program for the next few weeks.
After ascertaining that there is no other business for the good of Rotary, Mike adjourned the meeting with the traditional toast to Friends and Rotarians around the world.
