In to Africa

The notion of volun-touring had appealed to me long before the marketing industry had created the handle. Back when I was a teenager, the nuns at my catholic high school in Toronto had organized a mission trip to help school children in Africa. I had desperately wanted to go but times being what they were, my intention of serving gave way to earning much-needed money at a summer job in the CHUM AM promotions department - a fun distraction, but one that offered little emotional depth or reward. Let's be clear, I actually didn't have that insight at the time. As a "CHUM bum", I was handing out concert tickets and cash to cute boys and chubby girls with glasses, infatuated with my power during the three week Canadian National Exhibition. Africa would just have to wait.

And so it did.

Africa, my missed opportunity, had remained on simmer through a varied, hectic career, two children and a failed marriage, proving that some aspects of our selves cannot be suppressed. It's likely why I jumped at the chance to be a part of a 20-person team that headed to Mali, Africa in January, 2012.

I was introduced to Hands Across the Nations (HATN), through a physician friend of mine, Dr. Roland Beaulieu, a pediatric cardiologist, who had become involved with the volunteer organization. His passion for HATN was apparent and after attending its spring fundraising event, I was sold. The question of "if" was bulldozed by "how soon can I go?"; the emotional commitment to head across the pond to help others compromised by geography was a done deal.

My 18-year old daughter Gillian was also in. And when two spots opened up just weeks before the January expedition, we scrambled to find a way to make it work. I was reminded that the timing wasn't good in terms of work demands; not great for school either as it bumped up against exams. But I decided precious few things in life are, in fact, well timed. Infant mortality, high malaria rates and malnutrition seemed to me ill-timed and downright inconvenient too; January seemed as good a time as any to help tackle them. My new fridge, manicures and an all-inclusive vacation would just need to wait. Gillian and I had a personal mission to fulfill.

Together we planned our volunteering adventure to one of the planet's poorest countries. Mali was relatively unknown to me before doing my research -no Hollywood super couple has adopted a Mali baby so it remains under the radar to most westerners (or perhaps this is a glimpse into my own ignorance). Online stats and regional profiles only told a smidge of the real story. Gillian and I would need to wait until we arrived in Bamako and then on to the small village of Mana before the more accurate, mind-warping, heart-warming story would emerge.

The following blogs chronicle our experience with a view to inspiring others to follow suit because it will indeed take the collective efforts of our global village to assume responsibility and affect change as it must happen. And it simply must happen.