Rice Drop Day

Friday 11^th July 2014 - Rice Drop Day

Ran 5.5 km before breakfast.  Cycled to work with the usual gaggle of volunteers. Incidentally bicycles are bought by volunteers and given to children to enable those living further away to come to school.

The New Hope Bikies

I noticed this at where they are building the new school building next door for a fee-paying school - where I park my bike. Two of the labourers are women.

Building site with child-care sand pit and toy dump-trucks

The staff and volunteers helped re-sort the rice - some families get a whole 50kg bag but other get 40kg, 30kg or 20kg - 18 tonnes in all. So, there was much weighing and re-bagging. Other volunteers made up bags of fish sauce and garlic. I assisted for a while but went back the office and continued with my report writing - pretty much finished it by lunchtime.

Re-bagging the rice for smaller loads

Weighing and bagging garlic and fish sauce

Volunteers ready

The lads ready for the 50kg bags

At 1300 the road was full of people waiting to come in. They queued quietly to get their photo i/d pass and money. There was an area of the courtyard covered by canopies where they could sit out of the sun and, later, rain. As proceedings were about to start around 1400 the rain started and a gust of wind brought the canopy down on those underneath. Fortunately, the volunteers rushed to catch it and only one boy was really frightened but not hurt.

Queuing for a Pass

Ready for the rice distribution

Each person had to have their photo taken with a 50kg bag of rice. This is the evidence sent to the sponsor that they have been to collect their rice for which the sponsor pays. The temptation for the family is that their child works instead of going to school - boys doing whatever they can find and girls as prostitutes. If the family receives the rice for free then the children can come to school instead of working. They receive the rice on the understanding that their child must come to school: if the child doesn’t attend, they get no rice.

There were some announcements and then the fun really started just as the rain started. Names of recipients were called out along with the quantity of rice they were to receive. I didn’t attempt to carry the 50kg bags - the younger lads could do those. I did the 40kg bags and the lady volunteers did the 30s and 20s. The sack was rolled from the pile onto my shoulders and I followed the lady recipient out to the road, splashed through the mud, puddles and broken bricks in the road to her bicycle or motorbike. I put the bag on the saddle of the bike or between the steering column of the moto and its seat. I saw one family (photo below) on a moto - 50kg bag of rice, dad driving, 4 kids behind and mum on the back! Nearly all the people receiving the rice on behalf of their families were older ladies but I was moved to see some quite young girls (8? 10?) taking responsibility for collection.

This not too bad...

Oh, spoke too soon, getting a bit heavy now!

Dad holding 50kg bag of rice,  4 kids and mum on the back!

I suppose I did about 10 or 12 trips - so about 400 - 480kg of rice. The first one or two were a bit tricky but once I had got the hang of where to place the bag across my shoulders they became easier. We cleared up and I cycled back to the hotel - completely soaked and muddied by the time I got back.

That evening I sat on the roof of the hotel and had a couple of beers with the other volunteers. Went in a tuk tuk to Pub Street and had pizza for supper - well, it is Friday! Whilst I was sitting there chatting I noticed Shane Carmody (former Deputy to CEO Bruce Byron at CASA when I arrived) walking past. I called to him and he and his wife came over for a quick chat. Small world.