Central Albertans are an inquisitive and generous lot — and that curious, hopeful outlook on the world is shared by the staff at the Advocate.
This week, editor Cameron Kennedy, a longtime Red Deer Advocate employee who has travelled extensively in the Third World and elsewhere, returned to Afghanistan.
He last visited Afghanistan in 2007, accompanying A Better World as the Lacombe-based charitable group pursued its goal to bring education to the children of that wartorn country, particularly girls.
In April of 2007, Kennedy wrote:
“Peace and love for their fellow man is a rare commodity among Afghans after 25 years of war, corruption and broken promises. The challenges facing the Afghan government and countless NGOs seem insurmountable, especially beyond the island of relative tranquility that is Kabul. Planning for the future beyond the next week or month is unthinkable to most Afghans when 1,200 in 100,000 women die in childbirth, and 20 per cent of children die before their fifth birthday.
“How to persuade Central Alberta’s skilled professionals to join the humanitarian invasion is a question that (A Better World co-founder) Eric Rajah has struggled with since stepping onto the tarmac at Kabul International. He is convinced the Afghan people need Canadians’ support, now more than ever, because they have a vision of what their country could look like and have started to rebuild.”
This month’s A Better World mission will follow up on those projects, and celebrate the opening of two new classrooms for the too-often-illiterate children of Afghanistan — all because Central Albertans persisted, despite the long odds, and are committed to continuing their campaigns.
Kennedy’s reports over the next two weeks will help put into perspective the efforts of a large group of Central Albertans who have contributed time, money and their considerable passion for improving the lives of the less fortunate through a variety of international causes.
It is fair to say that while A Better World is the specific focus of Kennedy’s coverage, the group reflects in many ways the international relief work and the attitude of caring that is broadly shared in Central Alberta.
Members of our community from all walks of life travel extensively and give selflessly of their time, talents and money to help people in many of the areas to which they travel.
And a great many Central Albertans who never have the opportunity to travel give just as generously to organizations like the Red Cross or A Better World, to church-based organizations, and to a number of other groups doing good work around the world, and at home.
Central Albertans have done notable work in Kenya and other parts of Africa, in Haiti and other parts of Central and South America. They have travelled to the U.S. Deep South to help rebuild after hurricane Katrina. They have been to Afghanistan as that country tries to claw its way out of decades of internal strife and external interference.
Despite the danger and the daunting barriers that stand in the way of their many projects around the world, these Central Albertans persist and succeed in helping others.
Members of the Advocate newsroom staff, too, have taken the many backroads and highways to see the world, to lend a hand, and to report on the good work being done by members of our community — and the desperation of those who have been helped. Kennedy’s trip is just one example of many.
Advocate reporters and editors have been to Asia, Africa, Europe, the United Kingdom, Central and South America, and have travelled widely across North America.
And after every trip they take, whether for pleasure or in pursuit of greater knowledge — and, most often, for both reasons — they return inspired both by the world around them and by the people of this community who reach out so willingly to others.
John Stewart is the Advocate’s managing editor.