Launched in 2005, WellesleyWeston Magazine is a quarterly publication tailored to Wellesley and Weston residents and edited to enrich the experience of living in two of Massachusetts' most desirable communities.
Issue link: https://wellesleywestonmagazine.epubxp.com/i/92498
good works "there are many ways to make a difference " villages near Lomé, the capital city. SCAW is assisted by a local volun- teer group, AED-Togo (Action Enfance et Dévéloppement Togo) that identifies the villages and children to receive aid. Since 2007 SCAW has distributed 25,000 bedkits in Togo. In 2011 SCAW distributed 70,000 bedkits to children in ten countries in Africa, Central America, and the Central Pacific. How can so much material be distributed in such a short time? SCAW stays focused on the mission. "They have it down to a science," says Uddo. "When we arrive in the village, the local AED team has the children lined up, wearing their new T-shirts, holding their kits, and wearing the biggest smiles you have ever seen." Villagers welcomed the visitors with singing and dancing, and hugs and grateful "Mercis." Photos were taken to send to donors. Uddo's team also visited an orphanage and checked on the construc- tion of a school and some wells for two other nonprofits. "Growing up you are taught that it's better to give than receive," says Uddo. "Never have I experienced the truthfulness of that statement in such a pure form. " Throughout Africa, the needs are unlimited. Women want to start businesses and teens need skills for life. Teachers need more education. In Fumbelo FOF sees the need for a clinic building, a library, and elec- tricity. King and Rose hope to bring a more sustainable, independent 142 left: Beading is a popular activity for the women and teens of Fumbelo who build strong bonds while they make jewelry and chat; above, top: Eleanor Uddo (far right) with friends in Togo; bottom: Eleanor Uddo (left) taking a break with a member of the Togolese team after distributing bedkits to children in Amoussime, Togo life to their Zambian partners in the coming years. Uddo hopes to make a future trip to India with a SCAW travelling team. There are many ways to make a difference at all levels of involvement, and the gifts between community partners, no matter how wide the ocean between them, are always reciprocal. If you would like to DONATE TO FRIENDS OF FUMBELO, make your check payable to Communities Without Borders and note Fumbelo in the memo line. Mail checks to Wellesley Village Church Attn: FOF, 2 Central Street, Wellesley, MA 02482. For more information contact Liz King at kingswells@comcast.net or visit www.communitieswithoutborders.org. For more information about SLEEPING CHILDREN AROUND THE WORLD or to donate, contact Eleanor Uddo at emu@elderlaw.com or Robert Barclay at robertpbarclay@rogers.com or visit www.scaw.org. WellesleyWeston Magazine | winter 2012/2013