BCIT Journalism Student Lends a Hand in Sri Lanka

Kristin Woodhouse is in Sri Lanka filming a documentary with AIM International.

Kristin Woodhouse was expecting to cover a story about firefighters in Richmond. She wasn’t expecting to be inspired to take a life-altering trip abroad.

BCIT’s second year Broadcast Journalism student Kristin Woodhouse was dispatched to cover a toy collection campaign. Some local firefighters organized the event to give the proceeds to a small Sri Lankan village that was devastated by the tsunami of 2004.

Woodhouse was so moved by their enthusiasm and the plight of the village’s people, she decided to do what she could to help. Using her training as a journalist, she’s now in Sri Lanka filming a documentary with AIM International.

Woodhouse is blogging along the way, while she covers the re-building efforts.

“It’s been a hot and rough few days. The stress of a project like this is slowly becoming apparent to me as I watch the group work to build the new facility,” said Woodhouse in a recent posting.

“They have hired some local workers to help explain how they build things in this country but sometimes a lot is lost in translation! It’s all in Sinhalese. There is only one translator and he is expected to fulfill many tasks which means he is being stretched pretty thin.”

“They have so few resources. It is humbling, without question,” added Woodhouse.

Schools mentioned: British Columbia Institute of Technology