Sleeping Children Around the World

Sleeping Children Around the World A global community of volunteers and supporters giving hope and joy to children in need by providing

We lead a 100% charitable global community of volunteers & partners who have transformed the lives of over 1.7 million children in developing countries by providing bedkits for a good night’s sleep.

For one first-time SCAW traveller, the most memorable part of the journey so far hasn’t been a place, it’s been the peop...
08/23/2026

For one first-time SCAW traveller, the most memorable part of the journey so far hasn’t been a place, it’s been the people. Today’s blog reflects on the children, volunteers and Rotary partners who have made this first week in Honduras so meaningful. "I am a newbie at SCAW on my maiden trip and what has made the most impression on me during the first week would be the people.
First there are the children, the reason we are here. While handing out the bedkits I could see in their innocent eyes their appreciation of this gift of kindness. They were not only thrilled to receive the physical bedkit, but also were happy for the physical presence of the SCAW volunteers and the Rotary and Rotaract members who provided this to them and who interacted with them. It was obvious to the children that people care about them and this provides them with hope and inspiration for their future.
Next, a big shout-out to my team members who provide great camaraderie and support. Even though we are all from different backgrounds we are of like minds, in addition to being a well-travelled group with adventurous spirits. Most importantly, we all have a shared passion for helping others. Equally deserving of a shout-out are our OVPs, the Honduras Rotarians. They are fantastic in a number of ways. They are well-organized and professional which made the distributions go smoothly. It was a pleasure interacting with them and gaining more insight about the benefits SCAW provides to the children in the community. They are great hosts and have shared meals and welcomed us into their homes. Also on the support team are the Rotaracts (young Rotarians under the age of 35). We thoroughly enjoyed hearing their different stories and their dedicated community service is to be admired. These are the people who provide the foundation of the future.
I am looking forward to week number two of people helping people and seeing the happiness and appreciation on the faces of the children."
Team Honduras, 2026
Rotary Club of Tegucigalpa 🇭🇳 + SCAW Canada 🇨🇦

An evening of Rotary fellowship followed by another early start in the field- Team Honduras continues to see firsthand h...
08/21/2026

An evening of Rotary fellowship followed by another early start in the field- Team Honduras continues to see firsthand how much partnership, preparation and generosity go into every distribution day. "Last night we attended a Rotary club meeting and dinner. The highlight of the meeting was the enthusiastic singing of both national anthems. Danielle made a great speech outlining SCAW procedures such as country selection and the number of countries volunteers will visit and support. She also talked about how 100% of your donation pays for the bedkit items, while of course thanking the Rotary club for their amazing support.
All our distributions start early with a quick breakfast at 6:00 and then we are on the road. However, we are not the only early risers. The children’s parents accompany the children and wait patiently outside the secure area to greet them and carry home the much-welcomed bedkit. An added bonus for the children is a treat donated by a Rotarian for the journey home. Today was a fairly large distribution of 700+ bedkits so there were lots of happy families."
Team Honduras, 2026
Rotary Club of Tegucigalpa 🇭🇳 + SCAW Canada 🇨🇦

Three days in, Team Honduras is feeling the impact of the journey and the warmth of the communities welcoming them along...
08/20/2026

Three days in, Team Honduras is feeling the impact of the journey and the warmth of the communities welcoming them along the way. "The third day of distributions in Honduras has successfully been completed. 1,656 happy children have walked away with a bedkit. A $40 donation is all it takes to make a difference in the life of a child. The bedkits we give them provide the children with a good night’s sleep giving them a better chance to be successful in life.
It is such a pleasure for SCAW volunteers to be able to hand out the donated bedkits. Everywhere we go, we are greeted by people who thank us for coming.
So far we have not had interactions with the children’s parents; however, the teachers from the various schools accompanying the children to the distributions express over and over the gratitude felt by their school districts.
Many of the schools had made signs thanking both SCAW as well as the Rotarians, who help us make the distributions successful.
Waiting to have their picture taken, the children sit with broad smiles on their faces, holding up the signs ❤"
Team Honduras, 2026
Rotary Club of Tegucigalpa 🇭🇳 + SCAW Canada 🇨🇦

Day 2 in Honduras brought 324 more bedkits and a behind-the-scenes look at where an important part of each kit begins. T...
08/19/2026

Day 2 in Honduras brought 324 more bedkits and a behind-the-scenes look at where an important part of each kit begins. Team Honduras visited the local factory producing the mattresses and pillows, providing a closer look at the local partnerships that help make a good night’s sleep possible for the children. "Today was our second distribution day in Aldea Monte Redondo. We happily greeted 324 children and with the help of numerous volunteers, we finished our distribution before noon!
We then made our way to visit the mattress factory that made the mattresses and pillows for the bedkits. We were pleased to see all is well as it’s our first year partnering with them. All foam is made and measured for bedkits on site.
What resonated with me today while touring this facility was how important these mattresses are for the children who will be receiving them. SCAW’s whole philosophy is grounded in the importance of every child having a good night’s sleep for their overall heath and well-being."
Team Honduras, 2026
Rotary Club of Tegucigalpa 🇭🇳 + SCAW Canada 🇨🇦
*Producing bedkits locally provides additional benefits such as employment for dozens of workers, virtually no transportation costs, and strengthened communities. Learn more about our model: www.scaw.org

Team Honduras 2026 has arrived in Tegucigalpa and the bedkit distribution is underway!In their first blog from the field...
08/18/2026

Team Honduras 2026 has arrived in Tegucigalpa and the bedkit distribution is underway!
In their first blog from the field, one member of the team reflects on a first distribution day she’ll never forget—771 bedkits, countless smiles, and an experience made even more meaningful by sharing it with her mum. ❤
Follow along as Team Honduras begins its 2026 journey with our Rotary partners in Tegucigalpa. "Monday, August 17th marked our first - and biggest - bedkit distribution for the SCAW 2026 Honduras Team and my first-ever distribution. We distributed 771 bedkits to children in need. It was truly such an impactful day and one I will never forget. We gathered at one of the oldest and largest schools in Tegucigalpa, a school with approximately 3,000 students that is celebrating its 148th year.
When we pulled up to the school, I instantly felt overwhelmed with emotion - not only because of the sheer magnitude of the school itself, but also because of the impact of what we were about to do. Immediately, I was blown away by how kind, thoughtful, organized and committed everyone was. The Rotarians, the school staff, the student volunteers- everyone played such an important role. The Mayor’s wife honoured us with a visit. She appreciated all of our hard work and was happy to see the distribution process in real time.
However, the children made the most impact. Their long bus rides and early arrival times didn’t dampen their joy or beautiful smiles. My favourite moments of the day were: talking to the children in a mix of Spanish and English, receiving high-fives, props and hugs from them as they walked to go get their bedkit, and experiencing their excitement and happiness as they received their bedkits. These are all memories I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
As my first-ever distribution day comes to a close, my heart is filled with gratitude that I am able to have this experience alongside my mum. I came here hoping to make a difference in the lives of these children, but, after only Day 1, I am realizing how deeply they will have made a difference in mine."
Team Honduras, 2026
Rotary Club of Tegucigalpa 🇭🇳 + SCAW Canada 🇨🇦
Learn more about volunteering with SCAW: www.scaw.org

In their final blog, Team Tanzania reflects on what it means to travel with purpose, and on how an experience that makes...
08/17/2026

In their final blog, Team Tanzania reflects on what it means to travel with purpose, and on how an experience that makes a difference for children can also leave a lasting impact on the volunteers themselves: "Everyone understood why we were there: to give 7,000 children something as simple - and as important - as a safe, comfortable place to sleep. Better sleep can help prepare a child for another day of learning, playing and growing. We may never know what impact these mattresses and bedkits will have years from now. But perhaps that's the point. Big change often begins with small individual acts.
The experience also reminded us why travel with purpose can be so powerful. We didn't just see Tanzania through the eyes of a visitor. We met its people, visited homes and communities, shared meals and music, stood in schools and churches, and experienced the warmth, generosity and resilience of Tanzanian families.
We came to Tanzania to help children. We left feeling that Tanzania had given something to us, too.
The 2026 Team Tanzania experience was ultimately about family, friendship and community - the belief that we are all connected and that each of us can make a difference.
These small acts of kindness won't solve all of the world's problems. But they are an important reminder that kindness and goodness still exist in the world, and that there are people everywhere who believe in giving back.
If you want to travel with purpose, experience a country and its people beyond the sanitized tourist version, and make a meaningful contribution to children and communities around the world, consider travelling with Sleeping Children Around the World.
You may arrive thinking you're going to change a child's life.
You may leave realizing that the experience changed yours, too."
Team Tanzania, 2026
Upendo AIDS Information and Counseling Centre 🇹🇿 + SCAW 🇨🇦
**Could you see yourself on a future SCAW team?
If you’re interested in travelling with purpose, learning from our overseas partners and helping bring the gift of a good night’s sleep to children, we’d love to have you join us.
Learn more about becoming a SCAW Travel Volunteer at www.scaw.org.

08/16/2026

For two unforgettable weeks in Dar es Salaam, Team Tanzania 2026 experienced far more than a 10-day bedkit distribution. We became part of a community, built friendships, shared countless smiles & witnessed the extraordinary power of family working together to give back. Over 10 days, we visited 10 schools & provided a total of 7000 children with a bedkit. Before each distribution began, we spoke with mothers & fathers about the importance of a good night's sleep.
Although our days started early, the energy & enthusiasm of the children inspired us every step of the way. And each school brought us into a different community, giving us a glimpse into everyday life in Tanzania that few visitors ever experience.
Our time in Tanzania was also about family. We were privileged to visit Mama Wandoa & her family on their farm outside Dar es Salaam & attend her church, where we were treated to an incredible choir. We met her three children, Benjamin, Wendy & Eunice, who help lead the work as SCAW's overseas partners in Tanzania, as well as some of her grandchildren, who are also involved on the ground. The Wandoa family is incredibly close, generous & selfless. For more than two decades, they have given their time & energy to serving their community through SCAW. At the heart of it all is the formidable matriarch, Mama Wandoa, a woman who is deeply respected throughout Tanzania. We were honoured to work alongside her family & to see firsthand how their commitment to others has become a family tradition passed from one generation to the next.
We also discovered that a distribution is built on friendship & partnership.
Our volunteers worked side by side with Mama Wandoa's family, local volunteers, charity UPENDO & our long-standing mattress partner, Unoplast. Not everyone spoke English, & the few Swahili words we knew were certainly not enough to carry a conversation. But somehow, communication happened. A smile, a gesture, a shared laugh or simply working together was enough.
We were one team.The Dream Team, Tanzania 2026
Upendo AIDS Information and Counseling Centre 🇹🇿 + SCAW 🇨🇦
Learn more: www.scaw.org

Today’s blog comes from SCAW travel volunteer and sleep researcher Dr. Kimberly Cote, Professor of Psychology and Direct...
08/15/2026

Today’s blog comes from SCAW travel volunteer and sleep researcher Dr. Kimberly Cote, Professor of Psychology and Director of Brock University’s Sleep Laboratory. As a sleep researcher, Dr. Cote brings a unique perspective to SCAW’s work and to the growing recognition of healthy sleep as an important public health issue.
"SCAW has a long-standing partnership for bedkit distribution in Tanzania, led by the indefatigable Mama Wandoa. She and her team have participated in 25 distributions since 2000.
Last year, the Canadian team included current SCAW Board Vice-Chair, Debbie Will-Dryden, and a student from McGill University, Teegan Nordstrom. Together with Mama Wandoa and Dr. Reut Gruber (McGill), they published an academic paper in the journal Sleep Medicine: X as part of a special issue on “Sleep Without Borders: Breaking Boundaries and Barriers To Promote Sleep Health” that describes the community-driven approach that has been improving children’s sleep for more than two decades.
In a commentary published in the same issue, sleep expert Dr. Oliviero Bruni noted that the Will-Dryden paper “arrives at a moment when the field is actively reframing sleep as a population health imperative rather than a purely clinical endpoint”. He highlights its “quietly radical proposition that constructing a safe, climate-appropriate micro-sleep environment - a mattress, a net, basic bedding, and culturally tuned education - can be a scalable lever for child development in low-resource settings.”
It is encouraging to see the efforts of the Canadian SCAW volunteers and their local partners gaining recognition within the academic sleep community.
Bringing this important discussion into the academic world helps elevate a simple grass roots practical intervention into a broader public health conversation. The hope is that as awareness builds, local schools, communities, and government decision-makers will increasingly recognize the importance of sleep environments for children and adopt or expand similar initiatives - extending the reach of SCAW’s work and vision far beyond its distributions."
Team Tanzania, 2026
Upendo AIDS Information and Counseling Centre 🇹🇿 + SCAW 🇨🇦

After one of our recent school distributions in Tanzania, our Sleeping Children Around the World team had the opportunit...
08/13/2026

After one of our recent school distributions in Tanzania, our Sleeping Children Around the World team had the opportunity to visit two of the students in their homes. These visits are always a powerful reminder that behind every bedkit we deliver is a child, a family and a story.
The first visit was to see a nine-year-old boy who lives with his grandparents. His parents live about 12 hours away, in a small village, with his older and younger brothers.
His home was incredibly small. The main family room was about the size of a large closet, with two small couches, a little refrigerator and a table. A fan sat nearby, but the electricity was off when we visited, so it wasn't running. There was also a tiny bedroom where the boy and his grandparents all slept together, sharing a single mattress and one mosquito net.
The family was overjoyed that their grandson would now have his own mattress and his own mosquito net - giving him a more comfortable place to sleep and helping protect him from malaria.
His grandfather does not work, while his grandmother earns a small income by collecting plastic and glass bottles. She is paid just a few Tanzanian shillings for each kilogram she collects. They have very little, but what they do have is filled with love. Four well-worn stuffed animals sat proudly on one of the couches - a small but touching glimpse into the care and affection surrounding this little boy.
When we asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up, he proudly told us he wanted to be a doctor. His grandmother beamed with pride.
Then she noticed the Canadian flag on our SCAW shirts. She pointed to it, clapped her hands and repeatedly expressed her gratitude to the Canadian donors and to Sleeping Children Around the World. She understood that people thousands of kilometres away had chosen to help her grandson - and 6,999 other children - sleep better.
Our second home visit was a more sombre visit... CONTINUED ON OUR WEBSITE, LINK HERE: https://www.scaw.org/blogs/2026/8/12/scaw-blog-tanzania-2026-august-11-1
Team Tanzania, 2026
Upendo AIDS Information and Counseling Centre 🇹🇿 + SCAW 🇨🇦

A gentle conversation under a schoolyard tree gave Team Tanzania a closer look at school life, the challenges of overcro...
08/12/2026

A gentle conversation under a schoolyard tree gave Team Tanzania a closer look at school life, the challenges of overcrowded classrooms, and the importance of a good night’s sleep- for students and teachers alike. "We travelled north of Dar es Salaam to distribute 700 bedkits at one of the older schools in an economically disadvantaged neighborhood. This school was established in 1961, the year of Tanzania’s independence. The school slowly grew to over capacity, so three other schools have been built in the area and a fourth is needed. This school now has 1895 students, from kindergarten to grade 7.
This information was given to me by one of the school’s teachers, Miss Diana. Miss Diana teaches grade seven and has a total of 206 children, 103 in each of two classrooms! We had a lovely conversation under a tree in the schoolyard. The team was interested to find out more about the life of a schoolchild and this conversation increased our interest.
She does say that the children are usually well behaved even with so many together. Everything is provided for the children but they do ask for donations on a pay what you can basis from the parents for their food at lunch.
We also talked about the teacher’s fatigue at the end of a busy day and how a good nights sleep is important for her as well as for the children.
The bedkits are so welcome and well-received, with thanks to our donors."
Team Tanzania, 2026
Upendo AIDS Information and Counseling Centre 🇹🇿 + SCAW 🇨🇦

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