By Stew Slater
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| Garrick Byers in Nicaragua. |
Byers' grandparents are Richard and Joan Hryniw. Also of R.R. 2 Lakeside, the Hryniws are long-time stalwarts with Sleeping Children Around the World (SCAW), an organization started in 1970 by the father and mother of famous goalkeeper Ken Dryden. In 2009, SCAW celebrated its one millionth distribution of donated toiletries, sleeping gear and clothing - referred to by the organization as "bed kits" - in 10 different countries. Over much of that time, the Hryniws have fulfilled the indispensable role of coordinating visits by Canadian-based distribution teams to the host countries, as well as leading many international trips as distribution volunteers.
Leading up to the November distribution trip to the Central American nation of Nicaragua, the Hryniws had again signed on to lead a group of six Canadians. Garrick, inspired by his grandparents, had signed on to join them.
But then Richard suffered a health setback and was advised by his doctor not to travel. Suddenly, Garrick was thrown into a more crucial role, helping his grandmother - whom he affectionately calls "JoJo" - to lead the trip.
"The furthest I had ever been (from home) was Michigan," Byers said in a recent interview.
The group's home base was the capital city of Managua. Garrick immediately noticed the pollution and garbage. They were advised by their hosts, for safety reasons, not to walk even a block away from their hotel. "I was in shock, as I still was one and a half weeks later (when the trip ended)," he wrote in his report about the trip, which can be read on the SCAW website at SCAW Reports.
But he was also taken by the children, probably less than 10 years old, juggling in the roadway for money at virtually every single stoplight in Managua; by the poverty-stricken students in the nearby school that served as the bed kit distribution centre for their entire visit - who start learning English in Grade 3 and are eager to practice on foreigners; and by the teenagers who worked at their hotel - also yearning to improve their language skills.
"People were so friendly," Byers enthused.
The days were long. Rotary Club members from the host country had done the advance work of deciding which communities would be visited during the 2010 visit, and locally purchasing the bed kit contents using funds donated to the Canadian organization.
(SCAW works with different service clubs or faith groups in different host countries, depending on what strong partnerships the Canadian organization has been able to establish.)
"We've gone to buying everything locally," explained Joan Hryniw, noting this is an effort to helps the host country's grassroots economy. "And (the purchasing volunteers) try to support cottage industries whenever they can."
Each morning, the distribution team - with the assistance of a driver for the four-wheel drive SUV - set out for a village in the countryside. The longest drive was 4 1/2 hours one-way. On that day, the team was up at 4:45 a.m. and didn't get to bed until 11 p.m.
Around lunch time, they would arrive at the bed kit receiving village. They didn't want to take lunch with them and eat it before the distribution began because the Nicaraguans they were working with didn't have food.
"Lunch was non-existent for two weeks," Byers said, adding this helped distribution team members understand the degree to which Canadians are fortunate. Usually, they would be provided a meal - often a fairly basic meal of soup or beans - by the community after the distribution was complete, but this would be later in the afternoon.
Distribution team volunteers performed different duties each day. One day, Byers was emptying the bed kits out of the back room of a church, where they had been stored in anticipation of the team's arrival. As he gradually got closer and closer to the back wall, he moved one bed kit in the corner and "there was a group of massive tarantulas - each the size of a brick in the wall."
It was a bit of a shock, but he was quickly informed that "kids aren't scared of the spiders because they live with them all the time."
Advance set-up for distribution wasn't always perfect. In one community, volunteers felt they might be overwhelmed by a crush of people hoping to receive bed kits; eventually, the town's mayor spoke over a megaphone to restore order.
"It was when you had the job of physically handing the bed kit to the child," Byers wrote in his online report, "that you saw the whole idea behind this charity. The kids started beaming. Some probably never lost their smile for a week. Others, including their parents, were so overwhelmed they began to cry. It is unlikely these children would ever receive so many new things at one time ever again."
Each donation of $35 to SCAW is used for the purchase of one bed kit. For information, visit the organization's website at www.scaw.org .
