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Humanitarian strives to change piece of world

Laura O'Sullivan Reminder Publications photo by Katelyn Gendron
By Katelyn Gendron

Reminder Assistant Editor



WEST SPRINGFIELD Last week, Laura O'Sullivan of Ireland sat quietly at a booth in the Young Building taking in the sights and sounds of American life at The Big E.

Her current surroundings are dramatically different from the stillness of the remote African village of Cape McClear, Malawi that she has called home for the past six months. She has come to The Big E to educate fairgoers about Billy's Malawi Project, a non-profit organization founded by Ireland native Margaret Riordan dedicated to helping improve life for those in this African village.

In an interview with Reminder Publications, O'Sullivan said that since she was five years old she's wanted to participate in a humanitarian project. In February, she gave up her home, car and job as a registered nurse at Cork University Hospital in Ireland to move to Cape McClear and volunteer at the Billy Riordan Memorial Clinic.

Upon returning to Ireland in August, 28-year-old O'Sullivan was forced to move back in with her parents having depleted her savings while overseas.

"I didn't think about financial security," O'Sullivan said, adding that it was a sacrifice she was glad to make. "This [volunteering as a nurse in Cape McClear] is the best thing I've ever done."

She said she is eager to share her experiences with those attending The Big E in order to raise awareness about the economic disparity between the first and the third world and how much people take for granted.

O'Sullivan described her day-to-day in Malawi as mentally and physically rigorous, working sometimes round the clock in the clinic. She said the majority of patients are suffering from continuous bouts of malaria, adding that patients will be treated for the disease one week and return the next month with the same illness.

O'Sullivan said the people of Cape McClear and all those who travel miles to receive treatment at the clinic have an uncanny acceptance of illness as part of their daily life. She explained that children and adults come in to the clinic with high fevers and even convulsions, often throwing up their medications because they are so harsh on the stomach.

"The work was tough and challenging . It's tropical medicine," O'Sullivan said, adding that as opposed to Western medicine, treating those in Africa means that medical professionals do not have access to many forms of treatment for their patients.

"Antibiotics saves lives there," she continued. "Whereas we throw out antibiotics left, right and center."

O'Sullivan said that after The Big E she will be returning to Ireland to look for employment, adding that she is at a major crossroads in her life due to her experiences in Africa.

"I'm torn up," she said, adding that she is unsure whether she wants to devote her life to humanitarian service or return to the privileged first world.

O'Sullivan said she has found it very difficult to re-acclimate back into first-world culture. During the interview her Subway sandwich remained wrapped in paper, untouched under the booth. O'Sullivan explained that after eating fruits, vegetables, rice and porridge for the past six months her stomach can barely tolerate the heavily processed American and European fair.

She said that in spite of her emotional transition back into the first world culture it has been helpful to come to The Big E and share her experiences, adding, "You're not going to change the world, only your piece of it."

The Billy's Malawi Project booth is located in the Young Building at The Big E, which runs until Sept. 28.

Donations can be mailed to Billy's Malawi Project Inc., P.O. Box 312, West Springfield, MA 01090-0312.

For more information about this organization go to www.billysmalawiproject.org.