Travel Trust Recipients

CLAIRE COXON- SIEM REAP- JANUARY 2007

Claire plans to travel to Siem Reap in order to establish and manage micro businesses for children and families belonging to the Green Geckos Program. Green Geckos is a House where Cambodian street children can go to get a hot a meal, a wash, play games and learn english. The children belonging to Green Geckos are often as young as 5 yrs and are the primary bread winners for their families. Until recently these children made their living by begging on the streets but since the Cambodian Government has made begging illegal, it means that many of these children and their families who lack skills and education have been forced to turn to drugs, crime, human trafficking and child prostitution to survive. In order for these children and their families to have a more sustainable, safer and more desirable way of making a living, Claire will be responsible for establishing businesses like producing and selling postcards and baskets.

JESSIE YOUNG –KENYA – JANUARY 2007

Jessie plans to travel to Kenya in order to implement The Village Care Project. The project aims to provide home based care to HIV/AIDS sufferers of the Luo Tribe in Western Kenya. Currently there is very minimal medical support and education offered to HIV/AIDS sufferers in the Lou tribe due to symptoms of the disease often being believed by members of the tribe as a curse, which is caused from voilating tribal laws. Jessie will work with the Kenyan Ministry of Health Specialists, herablists and community health care workers to provide grassroots training to 30 individuals. The training will invovle informaton on how to provide support and medical aid to HIV/AIDS sufferers. On completion of the course participants will then be given medical kits and bicycles in order visit homes and provide support to victims of the disease.

TRAVIS BEARD- KABUL- SEPTEMBER 2006

Travis has a Bachelor of Arts in Photography and has worked as a freelance photojournalist for the past 10 years, he plans to travel to Kabul in order to educate young Afgans about photography and how to be photojournalists. Travis will select 15 students both female and male to attend his classes at the Aina Media Centre, classes are free. Students will learn the fundaments of photography and how to capture compelling images. On completion of the course students will not only have the skills to become photographers or photojurnalist but their work will also be exhibited in Asia, Europe and Australia.

JUDY RYMER & VIOLETA AYALA- ALEGERIA- SEPTEMBER 2006

Judy has been making social and political documentries for prime time television release in Australia and Internationally for 25 yrs. Violeta is an award winning journalist and documetry director, together they will travel to Alegeria in order to produce the documentry ‘ The Wall of Shame’. The documentry will tell the story of the Saharawi people who were seperated 30 years ago by a 2,700km long wall, when Morocco invaded the area. On the western side of the wall resides 17,000 Shawarawi people who live in refugee camps that are gaurded by Moroccan troops. The documentry will give a voice to these people and generate awareness in the International stage in the aim of reuniting the Saharawi people.

TIM FOSTER & BRIE DANCE – GHANA – SEPTEMBER 2006

Tim is in his final year of studying a Civil Engineering degree and Brie is in her final year of studying a Science degree. Recently they both travelled to Ghana and implemented a piped water system and sanitation facalities at Dawhenya Primary School, in Ghana. The two month project was very successful with a water tap and toliet now installed at the school. Having these facilities mean that children will no longer have to walk over an hour to collect water, missing out on vital education time. Brie and Tim also spent time educating the students of Dawhenya Primary School about basic hygiene like learning to wash their hands, brushing their teeth and how germs are related to illness.

Alison Jameson – Costa Rica - May 2006

Alison has a Bachelor of Applied Animal Technology and plans to travel to Costa Rica to assist with the conservation of Central and Sth Americas endangered native wildlife.  Alison’s work will involve rescue, rehabilitation and release of native wildlife. She will also assist with the education of local people, their lives are so complicatedly intertwined within the environment in which they live that assisting them in understanding the reasons why the forest and animal life needs to be preserved is essential and helping them understand how they can benefit more from the conservation of animals than their exploitation.

Jane Welsh – Dhaka, Bangladesh - May 2006

Jane is undergoing a 6-month placement as a Project officer with the Acid Survivors Foundation in Dhaka, Bangladesh. In 2005 there were 267 cases of Acid attack violence in Bangladesh. The Acid Survivors Foundation was established in 1999 to tackle the problem of acid attack violence.

Jane will be involved in developing information, education and communication materials to increase awareness of the issue that will also be used to communicate to a wider audience about the consequence of acid throwing. The organisation provides ongoing assistance in the treatment, rehabilitation and reintegration into society of acid attacks survivors Janes assistance will in turn increase understanding on the issue and opportunities for survivors and additionally create compassion and respect from the families of acid attack survivors in Bangladesh.

Luke Wright, Paul Tansley & Ben Fuller - La Paz Bolivia - May 2006

Luke, Paul & Ben are starting the 3Cycle Project in La Paz, Bolivia. The 3Cyle Project provides a group of disadvantaged people in the city of La Paz with a means to financially provide for themselves by creating unique and saleable products out of rubbish. Scrap materials such as metal, glass and leather along with water bottles etc can very simply be reused to make a variety of unique and marketable products such as wallets, jewellery, post cards, artworks and much more. 3Cycle will be facilitating the planning and set up and the initial production of these products, while providing ongoing professional marketing and sales support. The sole aim is to create a successful and sustainable business for people in La Paz while reducing landfill.

Rupali Saikia - January 2006

Rupali plans to assist in the establishment of a toy library in two villages in Northeast India. The toy library will be the first of its kind in this region and will provide access to a collection of materials that will assist in the development and education of underprivileged children and adults. Rupali is currently employed by a South Australian Children’s Charity who will assist in the implementation of the project.

Narelle Hoskin - January 2006

Narelle plans to travel to Cambodia to assist in the development of a school in Phnom Penh. She is an experienced teacher who has been involved in a variety of volunteer projects and nonprofit organisations. She will work in Cambodia at the newly developed school as an international adviser with the provision of training, school management and curriculum development for a twelve month period. The school will open in October 2006.

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO HELP THE WORLD?

Lauren Wimetal - June 2005

Lauren will travel to East Timor to volunteer at the Bairo Pite Clinic, a primary medical centre that sees up to 300 people daily suffering advanced or unusual diseases.  A final year medical student, Lauren will utilise her medical knowledge and skills, along with fluency in the local (Tetun) language to improve the health outcomes for those who attend the clinic. She’ll also help train the local medical staff in an effort to decrease their dependence on international assistance.  Her experience at Bairo Pite Clinic will also impact back home in Melbourne - Lauren volunteers her interpretive services for East Timorese who come to Australia for life-saving medical treatment not possible in their home country.  Lauren departs in August for a six-week stay.

Claire Stewart & Hannah Magree - June 2005

Claire and Hannah are also final year medical students. They are travelling to Sri Lanka for the four weeks of their university holidays to assist in the ongoing rehabilitation of villages and communities devastated by the December 26 tsunami.  They will work with the IMPAKTaid organisation, providing essential medical care and assisting in the ongoing delivery of basic life-saving support and rebuilding of lives and communities. 

Claire was in India when the tsunami occurred, and spent two weeks working with victims on the Indian Coast before travelling to Sri Lanka. Once there she helped in the search for families and children she had met previously and to provide immediate medical aid.  The devastating effects of the tsunami continue to wreak havoc in affected regions.  The wet season began in early May, and its ordinarily significant contribution to life-threatening disease is even more prevalent in these areas.  Since February, Claire and Hannah have independently raised $40,000 for IMPAKTaid's work.  They will depart for Sri Lanka in July.

Justin Coburn - June 2005

With more than ten years experience in community development, Justin will travel to Mexico to set up the Abejas project.  'La Abejas' are made up of 36 indigneous Mexican communities who for the past decade have been using non-violent forms of protest and resistance to bring about the recognition of their rights, justice and a dignified life for their people.  

Justin's Abejas project will work to build the capacity of the Abejas and to help them determine, design, raise funds for and implement their own projects. In particular, the women's weaving cooperative, as well as work with the community elected council to establish a three-year strategic plan for the Abejas.  Through 'Peace and Diversity Australia' Justin has raised over $12,000 to support the project, and will depart in September for a three-month stay.

Sue Hamsanathan

Sue, an Australian citizen of Sri Lankan ethnicity, will travel to Colombo in Sri Lanka to volunteer at the Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) for three months. Since the Tsunami, the TRO has been providing urgent humanitarian assistance to those who have borne the brunt of the Tsunami disaster. With her law degree, background in human rights, experience working with aid organisations and genuine empathy for the Sri Lankan people, Sue's skills will be used in the following areas: Assisting with the Refugee Resettlement program for internally displaced peoples; helping with the Children’s Welfare Program; and Providing administrative assistance at the TRO office in Colombo.

Nichole Woodward

Nichole, Trauma Co-ordinator at Northern Sydney Central Coast Health, will travel with 3 qualified doctors to Aceh, Indonesia, to establish the Australian-Indonesian E-MED Link Project. The E-MED Link Project will establish a network link between Australian medical experts and Indonesian medical and nursing staff, enabling Indonesian medical staff to access specialist knowledge via the Internet on patient management, clinical advice and guidance. Nicole’s group has so far assembled a volunteer network of more than 90 Australian specialists & nurses to support the project in Australia. Civilian and defence medical teams are currently providing emergency medical assistance in the region, as it's estimated that up to 80% of Aceh’s medical and nursing staff were killed in the Tsunami. This project will help to rebuild a supportive medical network in the region in preparation for the withdrawal of this assistance.

Marguerite Ryan

Marguerite established ‘Women for Women in Africa’, a group that has implemented numerous humanitarian projects in Nairobi, Kenya. Marguerite and three others will soon return to Nairobi to set up the Jitahidi Centre, which aims to; Upgrade the standard of living through skills training & adult education; Provide orphanage assistance; Sponsor children for primary education; and Provide a mobile medical and dental clinic for locals. Marguerite, through ‘Women for Women in Africa’, has now raised the funds required to purchase property to set up the Jitahidi Centre house and she'll oversee the property purchase, employ staff and get the Centre up and running when she heads over there in April.

Robyn & Sam Reardon

Robyn (a teacher) and her son Sam (a builder) travelled to the Kalahari Desert in South Africa to help renovate a secondary school and a local Mission, with the help of local villagers and a group of students from Australia & New Zealand.  As a teacher; Robyn developed units of work that she taught to students at the local school, as well as training them in the use of computers that were generously donated.  This was the fifth time Robyn and Sam had travelled to this region and so far they’ve helped build, paint and refurbish four Primary Schools and three Pre-schools.

Denise Cummins & Vicki Hannam

Denise, a clinical nurse consultant in HIV/Aids and Vicki, a HIV/Sexual Health Social Worker; travelled to Kathmandu to facilitate a ‘train the trainer’ workshop on the subject of treatment, care and support of HIV positive people.  They increased the local knowledge of medical and psychological issues pertaining to the treatment, care and support of people living with HIV/Aids, and provided the skills to enable participants (health care workers from rural and urban areas of Nepal) to impart future training.

Madeleine Tempany

Madeleine volunteered for 6 months at the Asha Deep rehabilitation centre for mental illness in Patan (Nepal).  She helped support community & family groups touched by chronic mental illness, and also helped the patient’s reintegration into society.  Madeleine helped foster a shift away from inhumane treatment of psychiatric patients by dispelling the misunderstanding surrounding mental illness, and promoting equality in access to health services.  Madeleine also facilitated staff training and conducted campaigns within the community to increase awareness of mental illness and teach recognition of signs of onset.  Madeleine continues the association of advocating financial assistance and ongoing volunteer support.