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Medicine to the people Report
Newsmagazine It would not be hard
to put some basic programs in place to help people here, thought Mary
Tidlund as she trekked through the Andes and the Himalayas. The former
oil executive was taking some time off after folding up her company in
1995. "After you take the first step, projects are very easy to complete,"
confirms the 44-year-old Calgarian who came home and set up the Mary A.
Tidlund Foundation (www.tidlundfoundation.com) in 1998. "Once you
put the project together, countries welcome you with open arms."
The foundation first funded a program in India with Operation Eyesight,
which uses local Indian ophthalmologists to do examinations and surgeries
in rural areas. Last year, she partnered with Kitchener, Ont., doctor
Violet Shadd to gather Peruvian medical workers at a clinic in the jungle.
This year, they are returning to Peru and adding Ecuador to the list. |