IVORY COAST ADDENDUM

Regarding Helen Krueger’s work in the Ivory Coast it should be mentioned that she was also honoured at the Canadian Embassy in Abidjan. Linda Nagel, the group leader accompanied her in response to their invitation and part of their written response said “Canada’s reputation around the world is enhanced by the accomplishments and commitment of such people as yourself.”

It is interesting to note that Helen did not ask for funds during her furlough visits with family and friends or by letter. A member of the family she boarded with while attending high school in Medicine Hat sent $50.00 per month for her work during her 52 years in Ivory Coast. Family and friends from her birthplace at Orion, Alberta assisted as well. From the port of entry she and her co-worker Adeline Wilke walked to their destination. At the end of each day they stopped at the next village before dark. They hired a boy each day to carry their 40 pound suitcases to the next village until the 300 mile journey was complete. During their early years they traveled by horseback and bicycle. When going on trek to Gouro villages, Helen would pay a man to carry the necessary bed sack and box containing food items. Returning the fifteen kilometers home in the cool of the evening after 5 pm, Helen found the road extra rocky with sticks, stones and bumps and had to watch carefully. “I saw what I thought were two people coming toward me, likely two men returning home from their farm and planned to greet them in their own language. Ruts in my path had kept my eyes focused on the road and finally looking up was surprised by two large gorillas. I was so close it was impossible to turn around and fear clamped my throat, but suddenly remembered the bell on the handlebars and began ringing it furiously. It startled them enough to step off the road. African boys told me later it was good there were two gorillas, perhaps male and female who found walking on the road easier than going through the thick underbrush. If it had been one old male that had been chased out of the herd, he would have been vicious and could have carried me off into the forest. I told the boys it was God who had saved me and not any charm or fetish.” She wrote “round robin letters” to family and friends each month and it was probably incidents like this that encouraged family to pool resources and buy her a small car.