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in si d e h a lto n .c o m O a kv ill e B ea ve r | Th ur sd ay , J an ua ry 2 5, 2 01 8 | £ Trip to Nepal with Tom Cochrane 'eye opening' NEWS Courtesy of World Vision Oakville's Celina Close and Tom Cochrane during their World Vision excursion to Nepal. DAVID LEA dlea@oakvillebeaver.com An Oakville woman, who re­ cently travelled on a World Vi­ sion excursion to Nepal with Canadian rock legend Tom Co­ chrane, says the poverty and the spirit of the local people are among the things she remem­ bers most. Celina Close, 45, went on the life-changing trip after winning World Vision's Mad Mad World 25th Anniversary fan contest, which she decided to partici­ pate in on a whim. The trip was more than just a chance to see the beautiful sites of Nepal, but an opportunity to see the work being undertaken by World Vision in the earth­ quake ravaged nation. "I was thrilled," said Close. "I have always wanted to go on a service trip like this. Obvi­ ously it was an honour to travel with Tom Cochrane." Following her contest win, the yoga teacher/recruiter for an IT services company had a chance to meet Cochrane back- stage during a Canada Day con­ cert in Kitchener, Ont. Cochrane has been dedicated to hum anitarian work since travelling with World Vision to Africa in 1989. He said that trip inspired the hit song, "Life is a Highway." "Life is a Highway continues to be a pep talk to myself that you can't change the world as a single individual in one fell swoop. But as each of us travels the road of life we can all spread some goodwill and love along the way," said Cochrane in a press release issued before the Nepal trip. "I can't wait to take this inspi­ rational trip to Nepal with Celi­ na. It's a journey I wish all Cana­ dians could take to help them realize the power of good we all have and the meaningful differ­ ence we all can make." Close was in Nepal for two weeks from late October to early November. The Oakville resident and Cochrane spent some of their time in the capital city Kath­ mandu. She said the impact of the April 2015 earthquake, which killed around 9,000 people in Ne­ pal, was still quite obvious with many homes lying in ruins. "We saw a lot of poverty, but we also saw a lot of hope and re­ building," said Close. "The people are doing a lot to train themselves and empower themselves to change their cir­ cumstances." She mentioned one group of women who have come together to create micro-financing strat­ egies, which they use to fund each other's businesses. Close and Cochrane also spent time in the remote areas of Nepal's southern Sindhuli District where they connected with World Vision Nepal and met several children who are benefiting from Canadian spon­ sors. They also visited schools and a medical centre that receives World Vision funding and even attended the opening of a school that was rebuilt through World Vision. Close said around 100 chil­ dren would soon attend that school, which is earthquake re­ sistant. "As Canadians or any type of donor you really wonder how your donations are being spent," said Close. "Through this trip I could re­ ally see the impact the dona­ tions have on people. We would go to a school and see 40 kids with the World Vision spon­ sored backpacks and see how excited they are to get their school supplies and be spon­ sored children." She said Cochrane connected with the local people wherever they went and even performed a few songs for the World Vision Nepal staff. Close said everywhere the duo went local people greeted them warmly and while there was a language barrier this didn't stop the people for adorn­ ing Close and Cochrane with flowers and blessing them. "You could really tell they were a positive and compassion­ ate people," she said. "The children would play with us and we would connect with them." With the trip now behind her Close is calling on residents to make that donation, which will help radically change the lives of needy people like those she saw in Nepal. "We live in Oakville. Oakville is a beautiful place and we take for granted some of the things that we have," she said. "I would like Canadians to not only appreciate what they have, but also find it in them­ selves to reach out and get in­ volved in any charitable effort whether it be World Vision or something else." Those interested in learning more about World Vision or sponsoring a child or project can visit www.worldvision.ca. Travel Agency M c T a v is h T r a v e l VIEW k VERANDAH M ove up, g e t m o re -- upgrad e e ve n t It's Back! Holland America's View & Verandah Event! 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Contact us for full terms and conditions --------------- C O R PO R A TE I G R O U P I LEISURE -------------- Suite 300, South Oakville Centre * 1 5 1 5 Rebecca Street, Oakville H 905.827.1100 travel@mctavish.com www.mctavishtravel.com FUKTHERAFIELD TRAVEL A N D TOURS A v a l o n W A T E R W A Y S ® RIVER CRUISING PLEASE JOIN US Guest Speaker: Hektor Kaczuga Thursday Feb. 8th • 2 - 4 pm in o u r o f f i c e : 77 Bronte R oad ( B r o n t e R d . / L a k e s h o r e ) Refreshments and Door Prizes R.S.V.P. 289.813.1969 info@ furtherafieldtravel.ca www.furtherafieldtravel.ca mailto:dlea@oakvillebeaver.com http://www.worldvision.ca http://www.McTavishTravel.com mailto:travel@mctavish.com http://www.mctavishtravel.com mailto:info@furtherafieldtravel.ca http://www.furtherafieldtravel.ca Trip to Nepal with Tom Cochrane 'eye opening'