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Humanitarian captivates Appleby crowd By John Bkila OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF When Dr. Samantha Nutt was in elementary and high school, her teachers described her as a disruptive force in a sound environment -- it's a label she says she now wears with pride. Nutt spoke at Appleby College Monday as part of a speaker series commemorating the school's centenary. Students and faculty sat captivated for nearly an hour as the founder of War Child Canada -- a non-profit organization that helps raise awareness and support of war-affected children globally through local and international initiatives -- told stories of her 15 years working in war zones such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone and Darfur. "I eventually figured things out (while I was in school) in that a good education, like the one you're receiving here at Appleby College, is really and truly a gift. There are more than 100 million kids around the world who are unable to go to primary school -- 60 per cent of those, for example, are girls. So just to be here and to be able to pursue an education is a rare gift," Nutt told the packed gymnasium. "I did eventually figure out that a good education means a lifetime of opportunity." Nutt's accomplishments in the medical and humanitarian communities are extensive. A recipient of the Order of Ontario, Nutt is recognized for her humanitarian works, and co-founded War Child Canada with Dr. Eric Hoskins, her husband, fellow humanitarian and Ontario's Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. Nutt is on staff at the Women's College Hospital in Toronto and is an assistant professor in Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. In addition to being an accomplished author, Nutt is also a recipient of Canada's Top 40 under 40 Award (Globe and Mail), was designated by Time Magazine as one of Canada's Five Leading Activists, profiled as a Canadian leader by CBC News, a Canadian success story by CTV National News and made Maclean's Twelve Canadians Making a Difference list. 3 · Thursday, April 26, 2012 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com OAKVILLE BEAVER FILE PHOTO WORDS TO HEAR: Dr. Samantha Nutt, an award-winning humanitarian and co-founder of War Child Canada, was at Appleby College Monday as part of the school's centenary speakers' series. A native of Scarborough, who grew up in the 1970s, she entered medical school with an entrenched interest in women and children, and while at first considering a career in obstetrics, opted instead for community medicine and took her skills into the field where women and children most needed help -- war zones. Appleby students heard several stories from Nutt's experiences in international war zones, including that of a young woman named Nadia and her six-month-old baby whom she met at a refugee camp in Darfur, Sudan. Nadia had witnessed the killing of her husband, mother and father at the hands of the local militia while hiding silently in the bush behind her home, clutching her newborn baby. She, along with nearly a dozen women, who were the only survivors of the attack on her village, walked for two days to reach the refugee camp. "Not only was she traumatized after what she'd been through, but she was also afraid because she couldn't go into town and trade the few supplies she had for food or water because she didn't understand currency. Even the most basic mathematical equations... that wasn't something she could do," said Nutt. "We take the ability to read or write for granted... if you grew up in rural Darfur, chances are you have no idea, especially if you're a girl, how to read or write," she said, noting illiteracy rates of the entire population are nearly 70 per cent. It is for this reason that War Child Canada installs child and adult programming in war-torn countries to help teach women and children the basic skills they need to survive. Nutt went on to explain, however, that she has encountered cynicism with the work she and others do, havSee Never page 7 SPRING SALE! Your choice with the purchase of any MacBook Pro or iMac* Double ble your RAM to 8GB for r free! or osoft Office for Mac 2011: Micro e&S Student edition for fre Home ee! or for ro our March events h of t the above for just $10 Both 00! Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 12pm-4pm The Core Advantage · Free 30-day remote technical support · Free loaner on any system purchased with AppleCare · Price Promise (ask for details) Visit us in downtown Oakville at 249 Lakeshore East or call us at 905.849.0737 www.Core 1 .ca Downtown Oakville *Sale ends May 15, 2012.