Newtown Resident To Study In Bangladesh

By Susan Coney

Newtown resident Keira Morin will be traveling to Bangladesh at the beginning of January as part of her studies through Western Connecticut State University. Keira, a senior at WestConn, is working toward a dual degree in history and social science and is scheduled to graduate this coming spring.

Traveling to far-off locales is not something new for Keira, who in April of 2004, spent three weeks in Africa where she met with diplomats to discuss the social and economic challenges that region of the world faces. Now on the recommendation of one of her professors, Keira is off to explore the remote nation of Bangladesh in South Asia.

Bangladesh is a poor country of 130 million people whose average income is $180 a year.

On this trip, anthropology students will observe an international surgical team from Healing the Children, Northeast, Inc at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. The students will also visit the Acid Survivor Foundation’s center, a foundation set up by the United Nations to provide shelter, health care, and legal aid to victims of violent acid attacks.

Keira will also meet with staff members of UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund) who are working on various public health projects in the country. The trip also includes visits to health care centers in rural areas of Bangladesh.

Keira will have an opportunity to visit with medical staff on the Jibon Tari Floating Hospital, which is a barge that travels through river ways providing what is often times the only medical care available to impoverished people living in remote areas. “I think this will be the most exciting part of the trip. I can’t wait to see how the floating hospital operates,” Keira said.

While in Bangladesh, Keira will have the opportunity to celebrate the Muslim holiday of Eid Al Adha at the home of Dr Samiya Khan in Dhaka. Dr Khan is an ob/gyn at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. During their travels the students will take planned excursions to visit cultural sites in Bangladesh.

The 2002 graduate of Newtown High School is the daughter of Mimi and Paul Morin. Keira said, “My parents were a little bit nervous about the trip but they are use to my getting on a plane and traveling to remote places by now.” She confesses that her two younger sisters are beginning to take after her and are starting to get wanderlust of their own.

Keira will be in Bangladesh from January 2 through January 18 and promises to return with photos and stories to share of her travel experience.