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| VOLUNTEERING ABROAD: Occupational therapist Tara Morrison is heading to Cambodia to do voluntary rehabilitation work with those with disabilities.Relevant offers (ANDY JACKSON/Taranaki Daily News) |
KATE SAUNDERS
Taranaki Daily News (New Zealand)
Tara Morrison is packing insect repellent and sunscreen this summer – but not for a trip to the beach.
Instead, Ms Morrison is travelling to Cambodia to volunteer her services as an occupational therapist.
The 22-year-old has just finished her honours thesis while working at Taranaki Base Hospital, and is ready for a new challenge.
The trip to Cambodia became a reality when she got in touch with Projects Abroad, a volunteering organisation.
She will work with Veterans International, a non-government organisation which assists in the rehabilitation of Cambodian war victims living with disabilities.
"The focus will be on getting individuals mobile again, completing daily activities and using compensatory strategies," Ms Morrison said.
The work will include sorting wheelchair settings, working with amputees and prosthetics. "Disability has a huge stigma over there, so it's about educating the families, and making sure individuals can engage back into society."
Occupational therapy is a vocation she feels passionately about. Her father suffered brain injury after a bitumen explosion at Port Taranaki eight years ago and is a paraplegic. "I've seen how [occupational therapy] has transformed his life and ours as a family."
She also hoped the experience would provide her with more skills and shape her occupational therapy career. "I haven't had lots of experience working with amputees and they don't have the resources that we do in New Zealand, so it should extend my knowledge."
She will spend four weeks working, before travelling through Vietnam and returning to a job at the hospital. "I've been really fortunate that the hospital has rehired me and given me two months off to do this."
She was also grateful for the support she had received from friends and family, as well as donations from New Plymouth businesses.
She returned to Taranaki this year after completing a bachelor of health at Otago Polytechnic.
6 comments:
thank you for doing volunteer work as cambodia is a good country to do volunteer works. not only you will help to make a real difference in people's life, you will also learn about cambodia, see cambodia and even fall in love with the culture, the people of cambodia and so forth. god bless all.
May God bless Tara Morrison.
Be a good helper.
Thank you so much.
Don't go there, ugly and smelly khmer men will rape you. You're too beautiful to be there.
I love Tara Morrison, God bless her and fulfil her duty and safe in Cambodia
Khmer men are not smell nor ugly, they smell perfume (smell Prah Heu) Khmer men are kind, helpful, care, polite, good manner, Khmer culture the women on the top, she made more decision than men, look at Apsara Khmer women make up and full of dress and colour. Khmer men only make money, the top management is wife. Those fews man made Khmer men bad images was not Khmer at all they came alien. By Camparision the European and our neighbours are smell bad.
I love you Tara Morrison. Merry Christmas and very happy new year to you and your family. God always love your kindness and helpful to the unfortunate people.
I love and respect you Tara!
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