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Loyalist students off to Ecuador

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A group of local students are hoping to make a difference in some people's lives during a trip abroad this year.

 

This July, four local students – Jayla Kirkham of Trenton, Holly Rogers from Tweed, Yvonne Yu of Frankford and Breanna McKeown of Belleville – will travel with a group of other students to Ecuador.

Yu is enrolled in Loyalists' pre health program while the other three girls are students in the nursing program.

The four Loyalist students will join 12 other girls from Brock University. Loyalist College and Brock University work together to offer a Bachelor of Science in Nursing program where students attend two years of school at Loyalist then two more at Brock.

“We each paid $3,000 to be able to go, but we're looking for donations for medical supplies,” said McKeown.

The opportunity to travel abroad is organized through Solidarity Experiences Abroad (SEA), a Brock University Program.

Kirkham said the students will be running various health campaign clinics including head lice and triage clinics, as well as a dental clinic.

“Some items we could really use are toothpaste and toothbrushes,” said Yu.

The girls are looking for donations of supplies or monetary donations to help buy supplies.

Each students is required to bring at least a 50lb suitcase full of supplies, which can include saline solution, gauze, tape, surgical scissors, masks, gloves, slings, tensors, or equipment such as blood pressure cuffs, glucose meters or test strips, etc.

Aside from running the clinics, the students will visit a malnutrition centre and a childrens cancer clinic.

“We are going to see a lot of different things, and we have to be prepared for that, especially the malnutrition centre,” said Rogers.

The students will be staying in a retreat house and during the down time at the end of the day, the students will be able to interact more with locals, including local children, and learn more about the Ecuador culture and the area – including trying out the local cuisine.

“One thing we're nervous about is eating guinea pigs,” said Rogers.

Guinea pigs are a commonly eaten delicacy in Ecuador.

The students say they look forward to the experience with excitement and nervousness, and they also say it might help them in their future careers.

“I've always thought about working abroad, so this experience might make or break that decision,” McKeown.

“If we don't like it abroad, at least it will give us a greater appreciation of what we have here,” said Kirkham.

Anyone who is interested in donation to the students can contact Jayla Kirkham at 613-392-6519 or email her at jaylakirkham@loyalistc.on.ca .

 

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