WorldView Magazine - Fall 2009 - (Page 30)

Commentary & Opinion TURNING TRAGEDY TO OPPORTUNITY The Tessa Horan Foundation spreads sustainability and well-being around the world by JoAnna Haugen t is early summer in honoring and bringing Tessa’s death, her mother and brother a garden in Santa awareness to the talents have traveled to Nepal to volunteer Fe. The sun is out, of young people. Like the with The Women’s Foundation of warm and inviting. Bright library, all of its work is Nepal, an organization that addresses orange tiger lilies sprout. a reflection of Tessa’s life educational, economic and social Tiny vegetables begin to and the goals she hoped disparities for women by fostering peek out from beneath the to achieve. social responsibility and self-reliance. leaves. Busy hands tenderly Tessa was an openIn Nepal, Tessa also came to pull weeds. Others gently minded citizen of the appreciate the principles of Buddhism, pluck tomatoes heavy on world, who immersed and to show their gratitude for the the vines. herself in the people she founder of a monastery who provided Family and friends chat met and chose to live refuge to Tessa during her travels, Tessa Horan and reminisce as they each day to its fullest. the Foundation helped fund the urge the garden to grow, For example, in 1999, reconstruction of his monastery. It also flourish and provide. But someone is she traveled to India and Nepal to helped create a volunteer center and an missing—and yet the whole purpose of learn about Buddhism, organic farming orphanage in the country as well. this garden is because of her. For her, and alternative medicine. While there, In addition to its work in Nepal, the in fact. Tessa became aware of the patriarchal Foundation continues to be involved That person is Tessa Horan, a former society that results in young girls in Tessa’s Peace Corps village in Tonga. Peace Corps Volunteer in Tonga, who being sold into servitude, and she was Though this was the site of the first realized the needs of her village of Tudetermined to address this issue. Since large service project in Tessa’s honor, aunuku on Va-vau after being at site for only a few short weeks. “Tessa e-mailed her extended e-mail list … explaining her desire to build a library,” says Kristena Prater, Tessa’s mother. Three days later, on February 1, 2006, she was killed by a shark attack. In the aftermath of her death, Tessa’s godfather suggested the family act on her vision to bring books to the community. In the fall of 2006, they traveled to Tessa’s former site and built a library next to the school where she would have been a teacher. “Anything that was humanitarian and had to do with Tessa was something I could do even in my despair,” Prater says. Seeing Tessa’s neighbors so saddened by her death yet so thankful for what the family had done, Prater founded the Tessa Horan Foundation to carry on her daughter’s passion for humanitarian work. The non-profit organization’s mission is to create educational Kristena Prater (center, rear) travels the world frequently working on service projects for theTessa programs for self-sustainability and Horan Foundation in Tessa’s name. mental and emotional well-being, while Tessa Horan Foundation I 0 Fall 2009 Tessa Horan Foundation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of WorldView Magazine - Fall 2009

WorldView Magazine - Fall 2009
Contents
President's Letter
Your Turn
Are You Connected Yet? Join Africa Rural Connect
Group News Highlights
Why Investment in Health Is Critical Now
New Hope and Lessons from Rwanda
Turning a Blind Eye
A Question of Capacity
CN U HLP ME? I HAVE A ??
When Water and Sanitation Are a Priority
Could “Peace Care” Lessen the Global Burden of Disease?
One, Two, Three
Translating International Health to Health Care at Home
Turning Tragedy to Opportunity
Costa Rica: Finding My Religion
St. Lucia: Learning about Hunger
Seven Dusty Notebooks
Peace Corps Service 2.0
The Peace Corps Community Making a Difference
Community News
Advertiser Index

WorldView Magazine - Fall 2009

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