Three Cape Bretoners, Tim Gillis, Kayla Pattingale and Andrea Landriault will be heading overseas with a group of Nova Scotians to help build homes in Cambodia. (Tera Camus / Cape Breton Bureau)
Adventurous teenage trio will help build houses
thechronicleherald.ca
By LAURA FRASER
Cape Breton Bureau
Fri. Feb 8
PORT HAWKESBURY — It’s hard to believe that Andrea Landriault is still just a teenager.
The 19-year-old has already trekked through the Nicaraguan rainforest and sipped coffee at French cafes and will be flying off to Israel this month.
And between her globetrotting, Ms. Landriault has been organizing a 10-day visit to Cambodia to build homes for residents of the developing country. She’s spent nearly two years making contacts overseas, finding participants — and convincing people to take her seriously.
"Age bias has been a major hurdle," she said. "Even among teachers, there’s been a questioning of my capabilities (because) I was only 17 when I came up with the idea."
But after nailing down her first sponsor, Ms. Landriault says she won the respect of her elders.
Now, she’s busy recruiting people to go with her — and the excitement she exudes when talking about the trip sounds like a convincing pitch.
"It’s something that I’m really passionate about," she said. "It’s the chance to help in a way that I’ve never really done before."
Before building homes with the Tabitha Foundation, Ms. Landriault and her team of three others will learn more about Cambodia’s culture and history. Within the first days of arriving, the group will visit the killing fields outside Phnom Penh where tourists now pay tribute to the estimated two million people murdered from 1975 to 1979. Many of those who died in the Communist-led genocide were professionals, according to the Peace Pledge Union, and the country is still recovering from the loss of about 25 per cent of its population and the decades of civil war.
Farmers also have to deal with torrential flooding that can sweep away homes and crops. The eight tin-roof houses Ms. Landriault and her team will build will be on stilts and are designed to withstand the elements, she said.
The team will also spend several days at the Sok Sabay Orphanage.
Working in a developing country will definitely change the way you look at the world and the way wealth is distributed, Ms. Landriault said. Her own frame of mind changed after returning from a month volunteering in Nicaragua.
"I had such a better concept of what it really (means) to be in a developing country," she said. "I realized the importance of global development and how much we really are provided for and how easy we do have it and how many opportunities, equal opportunities, people are given here."
The four Nova Scotians going to Cambodia are 18 to 20 years old.
Grade 12 student Kayla Pattingale said that she thinks the trip will be one of the most rewarding things she’s ever done, but also one of the hardest.
"I feel like it will be a really good experience to go there and get to help," she said. "But I also think it’s going to be really sad, because I’m really soft and seeing (the poverty) is going to touch me."
The group will be fundraising until their May 1 departure. It will cost each volunteer about $3,200 to pay for their flights, accommodations and the materials needed to build the houses.
Anyone interested in making a donation or joining the team can contact Ms. Landriault at soksabayproject@mail.org.
thechronicleherald.ca
By LAURA FRASER
Cape Breton Bureau
Fri. Feb 8
PORT HAWKESBURY — It’s hard to believe that Andrea Landriault is still just a teenager.
The 19-year-old has already trekked through the Nicaraguan rainforest and sipped coffee at French cafes and will be flying off to Israel this month.
And between her globetrotting, Ms. Landriault has been organizing a 10-day visit to Cambodia to build homes for residents of the developing country. She’s spent nearly two years making contacts overseas, finding participants — and convincing people to take her seriously.
"Age bias has been a major hurdle," she said. "Even among teachers, there’s been a questioning of my capabilities (because) I was only 17 when I came up with the idea."
But after nailing down her first sponsor, Ms. Landriault says she won the respect of her elders.
Now, she’s busy recruiting people to go with her — and the excitement she exudes when talking about the trip sounds like a convincing pitch.
"It’s something that I’m really passionate about," she said. "It’s the chance to help in a way that I’ve never really done before."
Before building homes with the Tabitha Foundation, Ms. Landriault and her team of three others will learn more about Cambodia’s culture and history. Within the first days of arriving, the group will visit the killing fields outside Phnom Penh where tourists now pay tribute to the estimated two million people murdered from 1975 to 1979. Many of those who died in the Communist-led genocide were professionals, according to the Peace Pledge Union, and the country is still recovering from the loss of about 25 per cent of its population and the decades of civil war.
Farmers also have to deal with torrential flooding that can sweep away homes and crops. The eight tin-roof houses Ms. Landriault and her team will build will be on stilts and are designed to withstand the elements, she said.
The team will also spend several days at the Sok Sabay Orphanage.
Working in a developing country will definitely change the way you look at the world and the way wealth is distributed, Ms. Landriault said. Her own frame of mind changed after returning from a month volunteering in Nicaragua.
"I had such a better concept of what it really (means) to be in a developing country," she said. "I realized the importance of global development and how much we really are provided for and how easy we do have it and how many opportunities, equal opportunities, people are given here."
The four Nova Scotians going to Cambodia are 18 to 20 years old.
Grade 12 student Kayla Pattingale said that she thinks the trip will be one of the most rewarding things she’s ever done, but also one of the hardest.
"I feel like it will be a really good experience to go there and get to help," she said. "But I also think it’s going to be really sad, because I’m really soft and seeing (the poverty) is going to touch me."
The group will be fundraising until their May 1 departure. It will cost each volunteer about $3,200 to pay for their flights, accommodations and the materials needed to build the houses.
Anyone interested in making a donation or joining the team can contact Ms. Landriault at soksabayproject@mail.org.
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