Changing the world a child at a time
-- Sally Duff ('03)
Kelly Keul Duer ('98) knows how to make an impact on children -- just helping keep them alive for starters. Duer, a Fairfax County teacher, and her sister took a life-changing trip to Romania in 2002. It changed them forever, and it helped save children's lives.
The attention that Duer provided to needy children was something that many were not able to receive from their own families. The sisters traveled with Global Volunteers, an international volunteer organization that provides relief efforts and care to people around the globe.
"As a child, I watched documentaries on orphans
from Romania. And since then, I've always wanted to go to Eastern
Europe," says Duer, a psychology major.
For two weeks last summer,
Duer and sister, Katie, gave their time
to care for and nurture sick babies in
Tutova Hospital. The children in the
hospital were in the Failure-to-Thrive Unit, which means they were
below weight
and height standards for their age. Half
the babies that Duer cared for were
orphans; the other babies' families were just too poor to take care
of them.
The sisters' efforts were welcome. Because of Romania's poor economy, there isn't enough help to take care of all the sick and underprivileged children. Global Volunteers fills in the gaps and strengthens communities. "I worked with three special-needs babies and one toddler who had symptoms of autism," says Duer. "The staff were very appreciative of any help with these children, since not much is known about disabilities in Romania."
It wasn't just the hospital staff that enjoyed the American sisters. "People in Romania are very nice; hospital patients asked to have their pictures taken with us," adds Duer. "There was also a group of teenaged girls who waited outside the hospital to see us and practice their English."
After seeing the way people lived in Romania, Duer counts her blessings as
an American. "I would like people to be aware of what is happening
to children. Seeing what I saw really changed the way
I think about things. I would like people to know that there are
groups like Global Volunteers and that taking a volunteer vacation
is an incredible experience."