Sleeping Children Around the World

What Sleeping Children Around the World does

Sleeping Children Around the World (SCAW) is a registered Canadian charity founded in 1970 by Murray and Margaret Dryden, headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. The organization provides donor-funded bedkits to children aged 6-12 living in extreme poverty in developing countries. Each $40 CAD bedkit typically contains a mat or mattress with bedding, an insecticide-treated mosquito net for malaria prevention, school supplies, and clothing, with contents adapted to local needs. Bedkits are manufactured or purchased locally in the country of distribution by Overseas Volunteer Partners (OVPs) — primarily Rotary, Kiwanis, and Inner Wheel service clubs — which also organize logistics and execute distributions alongside SCAW Travel Volunteers. To date, SCAW has helped more than 1.9 million children across 36 countries, including Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Togo, Cameroon, South Africa, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Honduras, and Guatemala.

SCAW operates on a pure donation-based revenue model with three primary funding streams: direct individual donations of $40 per bedkit via an online portal, Sleep Day fundraising events hosted by schools and workplaces (with $2 student and $5 corporate donations), and the annual Pinehurst Club breakfast for corporate sponsors and business leaders. A legacy established by founder Murray Dryden covers all of SCAW's administrative costs, enabling the organization to claim that 100% of bedkit donations reach children. The charity is run by more than 2,000 volunteers globally, including office volunteers in Toronto and Travel Volunteers who self-fund trips to oversee distributions. Each donor receives a photograph of the child receiving their bedkit, providing transparency and accountability at the unit level.

The organization's strategic positioning is supported by academic and institutional endorsements, including a 2025 peer-reviewed publication in Sleep Medicine (Elsevier), a public endorsement from the Canadian Sleep Society, and impact data aligned with World Health Organization studies on insecticide-treated nets. SCAW is also a registered US 501(c)(3) public charity, allowing tax-deductible giving from both Canadian and US donors. The core product, distribution blog, financial statements, and donor portal are accessible through scaw.org, with separate domains for the donation portal and volunteer login. The business model is intentionally low-overhead and volunteer-driven, with no technology platform, no AI/ML capabilities, and no external institutional investors — operating exclusively on charitable contributions and the founder's administrative legacy.

Name

Sleeping Children Around the World

Legal name

Sleeping Children Around the World

Website

https://scaw.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sleeping Children Around the World is a Toronto-based, volunteer-run Canadian charity founded in 1970 that provides $40 donor-funded bedkits — bedding, mosquito nets, school supplies, and clothing — to children in extreme poverty across 36 developing countries via local service-club partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Children's Charity Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Emergency Shelter, NFIs & Winterization for Displaced Populations (BPADAHAG)

Keywords

• Children's charity donations
• Bedkit distribution programs
• International humanitarian aid
• Charitable fundraising events
• Volunteer-driven nonprofit services

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Bedkit Donations: Primary revenue stream from individual and corporate donations. Each $40 donation provides one bedkit containing a mat/mattress, bedding, mosquito net, school supplies, and clothing. Donations are tax-deductible for Canadian and US donors.
2. Sleep Day Fundraising: Schools and workplaces host Sleep Day events where participants wear pajamas and donate ($2 students, $5 corporate). 100% of Sleep Day donations provide bedkits.
3. Pinehurst Club Support: Corporate sponsors and business leaders attend annual breakfast events to raise funds covering SCAW's administrative costs, enabling 100% of bedkit donations to reach children.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sleeping Children Around the World (SCAW) is a registered Canadian charity that provides donor-funded bedkits (each $40) containing bedding/mat or mattress, mosquito nets, school supplies, and clothing to children aged 6-12 in developing countries. Bedkits are locally manufactured or purchased in distribution countries through a network of Overseas Volunteer Partners (Rotary, Kiwanis, Inner Wheel clubs), then handed out by Travel Volunteers.

Product overview

Sleeping Children Around the World operates a single unified product offering: the Bedkit program. Each $40 bedkit provides a child with bedding, a mosquito net, school supplies, and clothing, sourced and assembled locally in the country of distribution. The organization supplements this core program with two fundraising initiatives: Sleep Day (a pajama-wearing event for schools and workplaces) and the Pinehurst Club Breakfast (an annual corporate donor event). All bedkits are manufactured or purchased locally by Overseas Volunteer Partners (OVPs) such as Rotary and Kiwanis clubs, and distributed with the help of Travel Volunteers who verify quality and distribution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bedkits A bundled gift ($40 each) containing bedding (mat or mattress and bedding), a mosquito net for malaria prevention, school supplies, and clothing. Contents vary by country based on local needs. Distributed to children aged 6-12 in developing countries, 50% girls and 50% boys.
• Sleep Day A fundraising program where participants wear pajamas to school or work in exchange for donations ($2 for students, $5 for corporate) to support bedkit purchases. Educational resources and event planning tools are provided to participating schools and organizations.
• Pinehurst Club Breakfast An annual fundraising breakfast event bringing together corporate sponsors, business leaders, donors, students, and volunteers to raise funds for administrative costs, allowing 100% of bedkit donations to directly impact children.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1.9 million children helped since 1970
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Pinehurst Club SponsorsflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 8 May 2026Corporate sponsors and business leaders who attend the annual Pinehurst Club breakfast to raise funds covering SCAW's administrative costs. The event features keynote speakers and volunteer presentations. In 2026, event included Master of Ceremonies Neil Aitchison, keynote David Connolly (Drayton Entertainment), and volunteer Teegan Nordstrom.
• Rotary InternationalcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2026Many OVPs are Rotary clubs (e.g., Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga, Rotary Club of Himalayan Golfers, Rotary Club of Belgaum). Rotary members source, manufacture, and distribute bedkits locally in their communities, working alongside SCAW travel volunteers.
• Kiwanis InternationalcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2026Kiwanis clubs partner with SCAW for distributions, particularly in the Philippines where Kiwanis members organize local distributions alongside SCAW volunteers.
• Inner Wheel of KampalacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2026Women's service organization that organized Uganda distributions (2025-2026), coordinating with suppliers, arranging transportation, and executing distributions for 4,000+ children.
• Canadian Sleep Society (CSS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025The CSS supports SCAW's work, stating: 'The work of SCAW provides sleep environments for children in impoverished nations around the world. The CSS supports this important work that will improve the health and wellbeing of children around the world through improving sleep.'
• World Health Organization (WHO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025SCAW's impact data is consistent with WHO studies on insecticide-treated nets (ITNs). WHO statistics show ITNs reduce child mortality by 17%, malaria episodes by 46%, and severe malaria by 44% per 1,000 ITNs distributed.
• Overseas Volunteer Partners (OVPs)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1970Local organizations and individuals (primarily Rotary clubs, Kiwanis, Inner Wheel) who source bedkit items, organize logistics, select children, and distribute bedkits. OVPs work for months preparing for distributions, volunteering their time and resources. Without OVPs, SCAW's vision could not be realized. OVPs include Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga (Rwanda), Inner Wheel of Kampala (Uganda), Rotary Club of Himalayan Golfers (Nepal), World of Sweet Dreams Inc. (Philippines), Kiwanis clubs, and many others in 36+ countries.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Plan International: International NGO focused on child rights, education, and gender equality in developing countries. Operates programs in many overlapping countries with both groups emphasizing the wellbeing of school-age children.
• World Vision: Christian humanitarian organization providing child sponsorship, disaster relief, and community development across many of the same countries SCAW operates in. Both rely on individual donor support and direct community engagement models.
• UNICEF: UN-mandated global children's organization providing humanitarian aid, supplies, and education to children in developing countries. Both charities serve children in poverty across many of the same geographies, though UNICEF operates at vastly larger scale and broader programmatic scope.
• Save the Children: Long-standing international NGO focused on child welfare, education, and health in developing countries. Operates in overlapping geographies with comparable child-focused aid delivery, but at materially larger scale than SCAW.

Direct peers

• Compassion International: Child sponsorship organization that links individual donors to specific children in developing countries, providing educational support, health resources, and basic necessities. Closest direct peer in terms of donor-to-child funding model and individual giving emphasis.
• ChildFund International: Child-focused sponsorship NGO working in dozens of developing countries with similar donor-to-child connection model. Operates in many of the same African and Asian geographies as SCAW.
• Samaritan's Purse (Operation Christmas Child): Operation Christmas Child distributes gift-filled shoeboxes to children globally, providing an highly comparable bundled-gift donor-funded model with photo documentation back to donors, similar to SCAW's bedkit program.

Emerging players

• Nothing But Nets: UN Foundation campaign dedicated to purchasing and distributing mosquito nets to prevent malaria in Africa. Directly comparable to the ITN component of SCAW's bedkits and shares the same donor-funded distribution model.
• Against Malaria Foundation: Distributes insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) to prevent malaria in developing countries, directly aligned with SCAW's bedkit program that includes ITNs. Highly relevant peer for the malaria-prevention component of bedkits.
• Children's HopeChest: Smaller-scale child sponsorship organization with holistic care for vulnerable children in developing countries. Similar donor-supported, relationship-driven model but with broader programmatic scope than SCAW's bedkit focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Pinterestpinterest.ca/sleepingchildrenaroundtheworld
• Xx.com/scaw100
• Facebookfacebook.com/SCAW100

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sleeping Children Around the World