Objective 2: Ensure primary education for all

Patricia Smedley, 

47 years old
Teacher, Community assistant and literacy worker
Lives in Coal Harbour, British Columbia

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Patricia Smedley volunteered with Uniterra’s professional delegation to the 3rd International Meeting on the Globalization of Solidarity  in Dakar, Senegal, in 2005. She says the experience demonstrated the positive impact of the individual.

The women of Senegal impressed Smedley with their dynamism and power. “From managing their own credit union to opening community women’s centers for literacy to operating their own forestry companies – they are taking control of their futures and empowering each other for the good of all,” she says.

In Canada, Smedley is now working with the Corner School initiatives in the Yeumbeul district of Dakar to raise awareness of the need for education and to ensure equal access to education for girls. In the past year, she and her partners have raised 1 million pennies for the Corner School project.

“I believe the dynamic that develops when you have the opportunity to form partnerships benefits both sides in a unique way that is not possible by simply making a monetary contribution,” Smedley says. “I learned the joy of making a difference, the value of partnering and our responsibility as Canadians to share what we have with our neighbors. I now know that there's no other way to describe how my time in Africa affected and will continue to affect the way I choose to live my life, use my time and spend my money.”

Smedley lives on Vancouver Island where she works with First Nations people to plan and implement literacy initiatives on reserves.


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