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New for 2011 is a 12-day Through the Ages tour Israel, Jordan and Egypt complete with an optional Nile cruise extension. We have brochures available. Call us for details. www.globusfaith.com Call us for reservations!Call us for reservations 5 Thursday , A ugust 26, 2010 O A KVILLE BEA V ER w w w .o akvillebeaver .co m McKee said she has been working with World Vision since she was eight years old, donating money she received at her birthday parties. She has also led 30 Hour Famine events at her church in which congregation members go without food for 30 hours to not only to raise funds for World Vision, but to experience the hunger present in many of the places, World Vision is active. McKee also tutors refugees through her Hamilton high school, helping them with their English, their homework and answering any questions they may have about Canadian cus- toms. These activities apparently did not go unno- ticed with McKee being selected to become a World Vision Youth Ambassador in May. I was really excited when I heard, said McKee. When I applied I knew it was really competitive so it was kind of a long-shot. I real- ly didnt know if I was going to get it. I was so excited to have gotten it because Id always dreamed of going to Africa someday. McKee said she was particularly interested in visiting Rwanda, stating she had studied the countrys 1994 genocide while in elementary school. McKees Rwandan experience began July 18, when World Vision flew her and the other five youth ambassadors to the Rwandan capital of Kigali. They toured the World Vision national office before visiting some of the World Vision proj- ects in the country. It is an absolutely breathtaking country. Its called the Land of a Thousand Hills and when you look out you can just see countless hills around you, said McKee. The people are just so kind and we learned a lot from people who just welcomed us into their homes and spent time talking with us. It was really amaz- ing. McKee said the youth ambassadors were shown two different types of World Vision proj- ects, some described as success stories and some described as need projects where World Vision has just gotten involved in a familys life, but more support is required. In one example of a need project McKee described a home in which a grandmother was caring for eight children, all between one and four years of age. Basically she was just living day to day. She came and she hugged us when we arrived and she was so fragile, her bones were visible and her cheeks were sunken in, said McKee. But she still had so much joy in her eyes and she was so happy to have us in her home. McKee said all of the children were visibly malnourished and sick. Some, she said, belonged to the womans daughter, who had died, while the others were orphans from the village whom she was now looking after. She had kind of a little pottery business and she would try to sell these pots to people in the neighbourhood, but not everybody would want to buy them, said McKee. So a lot of the time, she said, they could only eat once a day and whenever she did get food she would always give it to the children first, so some- times she didnt even get to eat. McKee said World Vision is preparing to put the grandmother in a tomato co-op the organ- ization has created, which will give her a source of income and a food source for herself and her children. Seeing this woman, her children and her small and mostly empty home had a definite impact on McKee. We bought some stuff for her because we knew we were going to her home, so we brought her some clothes and I remember that as soon as we gave her the clothes she put them on and then she started to dance in them, she said. It was so inspiring for us because, even though she was in such a difficult situation, she was still so joyful and so hopeful. Other World Vision projects, McKee saw, focused on helping impoverished Rwandans to help themselves. This included teaching people trades, like basket weaving, so they could make their own money. Another project taught young mothers how to make porridge, something that would go a long way towards combating some of the mal- nutrition among children in the area. With her Rwandan odyssey behind her McKees task now becomes one of raising awareness about what she saw. As she performs this duty McKee will also be practicing what she is preaching as she is now sponsoring a Rwandan child who she met during her trip. I always have just felt that we have so much in Canada and in this western world and there is such a great imbalance between us and some other parts of the world. We have running water, they have no food. Ive always wondered why and Ive never been content to sit around and let stuff happen, Ive always had the need and desire to get out there and try to make a difference. Rwandan visit left lasting impression on Youth Ambassador Continued from page 3