HPIC at Work

When compassion takes wings

What does an Air Canada pilot do in his spare time? Ride in a passenger seat? Keith Wight does.

Wight travels to various places in the developing world, volunteering for mission groups. When he can, he takes Physician Travel Packs with him.

For the past five years, Wight has included the small country of Belize in his philanthropic itinerary.

Recounting his most recent trip, he writes, "The five members of our team spent the 10 days working at an inner city school and church run by the Salvation Army. We painted, cleaned, did some electrical and repair work. Our main function was encouraging the workers and spending time with the kids playing hockey and soccer and just hanging out with the school children and the kids who live in the neighborhood."

His daughter Julia (Masters Public Health) was part of the team for the third time, working with two nurses to teach health seminars to 312 school children and teachers.

She reports, "This year especially, I was struck by the Belizean people's capacity for love and acceptance. Every year, even though the team changes, the children of the community become our instant friends. Despite the challenges of their daily life, they seem to have an undiminished capacity to love, which I completely admire and aspire to."

The Physician Travel Packs were handed over to the Belize Emergency Response Team (BERT). Yvette Burks, the National Coordinator, meticulously went over the boxes checking the contents against the packing list. Wight says she was most impressed with the contents and the long shelf life of the medicine.

The medications will be used to assist BERTS, a youth heart clinic and various other public health clinics serving underprivileged people in Belize City.

And Wight will be back to check on the results.

He writes, "All in all, a very happy, rewarding and successful project. We are looking forward partnering with Health Partners International again next year on our 6th mission trip to Belize."