International Development Answers in Brandon

Stopped in the other day at the new location of the Marquis Project at 912 Rosser Avenue, Brandon. The new location is excellent: more space and a better overall busier location, especially right beside Scarlatti’s Cappuccino Bar. If in Brandon, check out the new digs; otherwise, check out their website.

I really enjoyed interviewing Deanna Ginn, President of Marquis, for a recent Brandon Sun column about fair trade and the Marquis move. During our conversation, we discussed the visit to Brandon of Stephen Lewis a few weeks earlier. He could be the most articulate and passionate speaker one ever hears. He gave a public talk at Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School, about the HIV / AIDS crisis in Africa.

One of the questions asked from the audience that I commented on in the column was “What can we do?”

Stephen Lewis answered that the public needed to fill the moral leadership gap left by governments. One suggestion he had was for the public to challenge politicians during the next Canadian federal election. Another was to support good non-governmental organizations. Lewis mentioned several worthy national organizations, including his own foundation.

Unfortunately, missing from the answer is something about local organizations like the Marquis Project. Marquis is a rare jewel in the community, and I don’t think gets the recognition it deserves. Hopefully, there will continue to be enough support for its continuation into the future.

During his speech, Lewis heaped praise on Crocus students who had organized his talk and who had turned over all proceeds to the Lewis foundation. Lewis also complimented Brandon high school students who were setting up a program to refurbish discarded medical equipment from Manitoba and send it to Africa.

But here was an unasked question: “How much fundraising would we need to do and how much medical equipment would we need to collect to outweigh the effect of our recruiting doctors from Africa to practice here in Manitoba?” There's some food for thought when our socialized medicine here seems to depend on donations from developing countries - in the form of trained doctors we receive.

Congratulations to the Marquis Project here and world leaders like Stephen Lewis who are raising the awareness of - and doing something about - important global problems.