The March slideshow from Siskiyou Land Trust will be “My Year in Africa” by Vicki Houle on Thursday, March 14, at Mount Shasta Sisson Museum. Vicki will share her stories and photos as a Peace Corps volunteer and extensive traveler in Africa. Doors open at 6:30pm, program begins at 7:00.
When President Kennedy announced the formation of the Peace Corps in March 1961, Vicki dreamed of one day becoming a volunteer. Fifty-six years later, that dream came true when she was invited to participate in a special project with the Peace Corps Response. Five teams of doctors and nurses were selected to go to five African countries with dire shortages of health care professionals to work with African training institutions and faculty. Vicki was assigned to help develop a Master’s of Science in Nursing degree at Southern Africa Nazarene University (SANU) in Swaziland. According to Vicki, participating in this project was the “capstone” of her more than 40-year career as a nurse practitioner.
Vicki has a medical professional history working in family medicine, pediatrics, and women’s health. “But even 40 years of health care experience did not prepare me for the devastation that HIV and Tuberculosis can wreak on a community,” said Vicki. “Working with the dedicated faculty and students at SANU restored my faith in humankind.”
Ms. Houle’s presentation will highlight her work at SANU and some poignant stories of Swazi people. She will also share her adventures in the animal sanctuaries of Swaziland, a safari in the Okavango Delta in Botswana, and visiting gorillas in the Ugandan rainforest. Vicki stated, “And I will teach the audience some words in SiSwati, the language of Swazilan. Yes, it is a ‘click’ language, and you already know these sounds!”
As a guest presenter of the Siskiyou Land Trust hosted slideshow series, Vicki stated, “We often think of conservancy in terms of land and ecology. I believe we must also include the health of the people as part of the greater strategy.”
The Land Trust slideshow series is held at the Museum on the second Thursday monthly from November through April. A donation of $8-$10 is requested. All are welcome. For more information call the office at 530.926.2259
