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From South America to Samoa

SamoaWe’re trying to be more mindful of giving back as a way of life, rather than something that is done situationally. Idealist makes that pretty easy. The work of other organizations, such as Mercy Corps, also helps to keep us mindful of ongoing altruism.

Recently we had the opportunity to practice this mindset while visiting Samoa in the South Pacific.  Taking a look around upon our arrival, we were reminded that this area was hit by a tsunami late in September. We were gobsmacked to see the devastation.  Everything was completely beat up – flattened buildings, boats thrown across the road and debris everywhere. From what we were able to gather, the tsunami hit at about 7:00 a.m. with about 7 minutes warning.

We made the easy decision to turn our quick visit into one where we looked into what we could do to help out. We  were lucky to locate the disaster relief HQ (a school gymnasium).  They were still working through meeting with the impacted residents. They figured it would take a couple of months to simply assess all of the damage. Based on the numbers of people that filled the gym, you would have thought that the tsunami had hit yesterday.  We got hooked up with an administrator, Helen, who gave us the full scoop on what had happened and how we could help.

At times, the two of us are so focused on getting back to South America for some travel and volunteer work that we forget opportunity exists everywhere.

In the midst of planning how to make a difference, don’t forget to look right in front of you, wherever you happen to be.

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Posted 27 Nov 2009 by wearekandc in Around Town, Looking for Opportunity, Volunteer

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