HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2018-04-19, Page 10PAGE 10.THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2018.
Howson returns from third volunteer trip in four years
A lasting relationship
Holly Howson of Blyth has just returned from a volunteer
trip to Ecuador. It was her third such trip since 2015, when
she first went to Honduras, above. It was there that she met
Darwin, centre, a young boy whom she still sponsors to this
day. (Photo submitted)
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Blyth native Holly Howson has
just returned from a volunteer trip in
Ecuador and she's standing on the
edge of what she hopes will be a life
full of travelling the world.
Howson is the recent recipient of
her Bachelor's of Science in Nursing
from Trent University in
Peterborough and she hopes to
eventually ply her trade all over the
world. As a registered nurse,
Howson would have the ability to
travel the world and help people,
which can't be said for every job.
Howson, 21, just graduated and
will soon be looking for a job back
in Peterborough once she passes her
nursing exam. However, it has been
her volunteer trips in the last few
years that have truly captured her
imagination.
She first hit the road in the fall of
2015, working in Honduras through
the organization, the Friends of
Honduran Children. It was a
community placement and she was
part of the primary health care
brigade.
As part of her work there, which
spanned nearly two weeks, she
taught locals about oral health and
hygiene, sexually -transmitted
infections, mosquito -borne illnesses
and safe water practices.
The placement was in a rural
region of the country and Howson
was there with 19 other students.
The children they taught later on in
the placement often came from
undesirable situations and had to be
removed from their homes due to
abuse or dangerous activity within
the family.
One of the most memorable
experiences from her trip to
Honduras, her first volunteer trip,
was playing with the area children
during down-time.
Howson said she always knew that
she wanted to travel the world; and
she wanted to see more of her
destination than was visible from the
window of a resort. She said she
knew she wanted to experience life
around the world and the volunteer
placements gave her that
opportunity.
After her first trip to Honduras she
was hooked and wanted to continue
Doing great work
Holly Howson of Blyth is seen here last month with her Operation Groundswell group in
Ecuador. The group had spent the day working at the Tsa'Chila Community Cultural Centre,
where they were working on the centre's gardens and planting seeds. (Photo submitted)
travelling and helping out all over
the world.
She next travelled to Guatemala in
July of last year. It was her first trip
through Toronto-based Operation
Groundswell, which she has come to
appreciate for its work and has since
travelled with again.
The trip's theme was "Mayan
Roots" and it was labelled as
"backpacking with a purpose",
which has been called both
voluntourism or backpactivism.
The two-week trip focused on
learning about the country and its
people.
Howson began in Antigua, where
she learned about the city and its
traditions. There, she and the group
also spent some time at a coffee bean
farm, learning about the country's
culture and ecology and farming in
the mountains.
She and the group then visited
Xela and heard an old revolutionist
speak about the country's violent
past. They also took in some Spanish
lessons while there, which proved to
be handy in the days to come.
In Pachaj and Cantel, Howson
worked on a reforestation project.
She and her fellow travellers helped
clear space where trees had already
been planted and helped to plant
over 100 more trees.
They then went to a region
referred to as `Alaska" thanks to its
cold temperatures where they
worked on a community garden with
the locals.
They rounded out the trip near San
Juan with a water filtration project.
Just last month, Howson returned
from her third volunteer trip,
spending a week in Ecuador over her
March break. Again, the trip was
organized through Operation
Groundswell, but this time it was
themed "Food Revolutions" so it
focused on food and local ecology.
For this trip, Howson was
alongside 14 others from Canada,
the U.S., England and Australia. One
of the most interesting aspects of the
trip, she said, was being a part
of a group of young people from
those four countries and learning
about their motivations behind
wanting to be involved with the
program.
In Ecuador, the group worked on
reforestation, gardening and
working on a local bee farm, which
proved to be one of the trip's
highlights.
While Howson has focused on
volunteering across the world in
recent years, she's hoping that after
working for two or three years as a
registered nurse in the Peterborough
area, she can travel once again, this
time putting her nursing skills to use
in special medical placements all
over the world.
She has her sights set on a 40 -day
trip to India and potentially some
locations within Central and South
America, although, she admits,
she'll have to brush up on her
Spanish if she wants to be a nurse in
any of these countries for a
placement.
However, as far as nursing
placements go, she could opt for an
exotic location, or she could spend
some time where her skills are
needed in the U.S., it will just be a
matter of which opportunities
present themselves.
Long-term, though, she hopes to
settle down and live her life in
Canada after earning her Master's
Degree. She has already been
looking at universities in British
Columbia, New Brunswick and
Australia.
1
quid 'p
of our
New Office
Saturday, April 21st
9am-Ipm
263 Josephine St., Wingham
Ship2 . ___ Shore
II 0 I
(old Maclntyre Bakery)
Pop in and see our new office
Have a Mimosa
Put your name in the draw for fabulous prize
Grand Prize - 2 Blue Jays Tickets for May 11, 2018
519-357-2228. 888-667-3545
In email: ship2shore@wightman.ca
TICO # 5001393A
prop -in Low Cost Rabies Vaccination Clinic
WWI Blyth Veterinary Services
Health Unit 234 Queen St. South, Blyth
ON
COU�N T y Friday, April 27, 2018 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
& Saturday, April 28, 2018 9:00 am - 12:00 noon
No appointment needed.
Rabies has been found in the area, protect yourself
& your family by protecting your pet(s)!
$30
per pet
(cash only)
Please bring your dogs on leashes & cats in carriers