Fearless Friday Humanitarian by Anne Fowler #fearless #humanitarian #memoir

FEARLESS FRIDAY

Talk about fearless! My guest today, Anne Fowler, is the definition of fearless. Enjoy her post:

For Fearless Friday the question asked was, “Have you done something that's rash or life changing (moved across country, quit your day job?)” I think my answer definitely qualifies me to participate! In 2001, I uprooted my life in Toronto where I was a successful business owner, sold both my home and company leaving behind an over 30- year career in human resources. Why?  So I could relocate to Honduras, a country once dubbed by the BBC as “the murder capital of the western world!” When I first travelled there on a medical brigade in 1993, the Honduran people captured my heart. I was hooked and spent the next 7 years driving my staff, friends and family crazy with my obsession to retire and become a “do gooder!” What exactly would I be doing? Didn’t have a clue other than I would live for half the year over an El Progreso eye/dental clinic for the poor, one that I had become associated with from several previous mission trips; then, the remaining 6 months at my Canadian cottage acting like a normal retired person. Oh in my HR mind I had a vague idea of what was needed at the clinic; updating their administrative procedures, hiring and training more staff, improving overall efficiency and increasing the number of patients, but I knew that until I was actually living there I couldn’t assess the situation properly.

I continued my annual 2 week medical brigades right up until it was time to pack in my “old life.” The only exception to my usual brigade participation occurred in October1998 when Hurricane Mitch, the second deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record, hit Central America, devastating Honduras. For the second year in a row, two weeks prior to the brigade’s start, I had travelled to Guatemala to study Spanish. Even now 25 years later I can still visualize the devastation caused by Mitch. On November 7, I was transported by military helicopter from Guatemala to San Pedro Sula. As we flew over Honduras nothing could have prepared me for the devastation that I viewed from the air.

Our team members from North America were unable to come. The airport was inoperable with mud and water reaching to the second story of the terminal building. I joined volunteers and local medical personnel at a crisis centre set up at the Lions Hall in the centre of one of the hardest hit cities, El Progreso. And the people came, thousands of them. Many had lost everything and they all echoed the same physical complaints; they were completely traumatized psychologically. Each day, we worked long hours until we couldn’t stand any longer. The lines never seemed to get shorter and returning the next morning, there were still thousands waiting. After a few weeks, some of us were able to venture outside the city in an attempt to provide medical aid, blankets, clothing and food to surrounding devastated communities. The conditions encountered were akin to looking at photos of Hiroshima. My two- week brigade turned into a two month Honduran stay and I didn’t return to Toronto until just before Christmas. Was I exhausted? Absolutely. Did the experience change my mind about moving to Honduras? No one was surprised to hear it had only solidified my determination.

The day finally arrived in October 2001 when I said goodbye to friends and family and moved to the clinic in El Progreso.  I know I had previously said that I couldn’t properly assess the situation until I was there on the ground. Boy, did I ever miscalculate THAT situation, I’d had no idea just what I was getting into!! It soon became clear that simply increasing staff numbers and updating systems were the least of my challenges. Besides moving from a 4,000 square foot home to a 12X16’ room over the clinic, there was the small issue of communication and my Spanish language skills proved less than fluent. Fortunately, there were a couple of bilingual people on the clinic’s staff who enabled me to forge ahead. Some things worked, some were dismal failures. But I persevered and wrote some pretty good programs, many of which are still in operation 22 years later.

“The Plan” to stay in Honduras no more than five years changed as I came to realize that this was where I was supposed to be. In 2005 I purchased property, built a home in the north coast village of El Porvenir and headed out into uncharted territory for a new challenge!  My existing projects were introduced into the community and we developed many more. Please visit my web page to see details. http://anne.honduranhope.net

Although I’ve slowed down (I AM after all 82!) I remain active, still “plotting” new ways to improve the lives of our Honduran people. I didn’t plan to write another book after my memoir “I’ve Worn Many Hats,” was completed, but I was persuaded to help fund our latest project, a town “bookmobile, by putting together a compilation of selected “adventures” experienced by some of our young international volunteers!

I am often asked “Have you ever regretted upending your life to move to Honduras all those years ago?” My answer? Not for even one minute! Of course I have had regrets, but they had nothing to do with pursuing my passion for the Honduran people. However, I have come to realize that each of us needs to recognize that “who” we are is the sum of choices we’ve made in our lives. What one chooses to do with that knowledge determines their path going forward. I am very happy with the path I’m on!

To order “I’ve Worn Many Hats” 

For Canadian readers:  Paperback – https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1778350321
eBook – https://www.amazon.ca/dp/BO9HDN55FV
For US readers:  Paperback – https://www.amazon.com/dp/1778350321
eBook – https://www.amazon.com/dp/BO9HDN55FV
UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1778350321
Germany – https://www.amazon.de/dp/1778350321
France – https://www.amazon.fr/dp/1778350321
Spain – https://www.amazon.es/dp/1778350321
Italy – https://www.amazon.it/dp/1778350321

Australia – https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1778350321 

Born and raised in Toronto I grew up an only child in a traditional middle class Canadian family of the 40’s and 50’s. But my life has been anything but traditional! After finishing school my career included flight attendant with American Airlines, model, travel agent, world traveller, sales and marketing and almost 30 years in Human Resources as an entrepreneur/ business owner. I closed my company and retired in 2001 to take up another role, that of humanitarian. As someone once said when they described my various life pursuits during their introduction of me as that night’s speaker, “and she’s only 108 years old!”