Moira Kelly (humanitarian)

Last updated

Moira Kelly
AO
Born
Moira Therese Kelly

(1964-01-31) 31 January 1964 (age 60)
Melbourne, Victoria
CitizenshipAustralia
OccupationHumanitarian aid worker
Children4
Website www.moirakellyaustralia.com
www.creatinghopefoundation.org.au
www.globalgardensofpeace.org

Moira Therese Kelly AO [1] (born 31 January 1964) [2] is an Australian humanitarian worker. In 2001, she was awarded the Order of Australia in recognition of her humanitarian service to both the Australian and international communities. In 2012, Kelly received the Victorian of the Year award and in 2003 and 2004, she was nominated for the Australian of the Year awards.

Contents

Biography

Born in Melbourne on 31 January 1964, [2] Kelly first developed an interest in disadvantaged children when, as an 8-year-old, she saw a documentary film about Mother Teresa and decided she wanted to be an aid worker. [3] As a primary school student in Carlton, she would climb the fence of her school to help feed the children at the special school next door. [4] In 1982, [3] after completing year 10 at St Aloysius' Girls' College in North Melbourne, she left school and completed a course to be a special education teaching assistant and in 1984 trained as a lay missionary and completed a probation officer course for working with young offenders. [2] [3] She then travelled to Western Australia and worked as a "house mother" at an Aboriginal mission. [3] On returning to Melbourne, she sold her car to finance her airfare, [3] and left for Calcutta where she stayed and worked with Mother Teresa's mission. [4] Kelly, a practising Catholic, [5] remained in India with Mother Teresa for six months until her visa expired. [3] In 1987 she returned to India and continued her work with Mother Teresa and in 1988 she was honoured as an Australian Bicentenary Young Woman of the Year for her work in community services and the Advance Australia Ambassador Award. [2]

In 1992 Kelly received the Paul Harris Rotary International Award for her work in The Bronx, New York City and in 1994 she was awarded the first Sir Edward Dunlop award for humanitarian service. [3] In 1994, while in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kelly started Nobody's Children, a volunteer program at a refugee camp. [2] She became the program's Director of Field Operations and organised aid and welfare programs in several refugee camps in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including opening two pharmacies, starting a free mobile dental health care clinic, starting a home care program, organising the emergency medical evacuation of patients to hospitals overseas, and developing education and recreation programs. Kelly left the Nobody's Children program in 1997. [2]

Kelly returned to Australia in the late 1990s and in 1999 she set up the non-profit organisation Children First Foundation. [4] Children in developing countries who have existing and often serious health problems, which local doctors are unable to treat effectively, are referred to the Foundation by aid workers, medical staff and church ministries and missions. The Foundation then facilitates the provision of medical treatment, often bringing the children to Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital and the Epworth Hospital, where specialist medical and nursing staff donate their expertise. [4] Specialists in New York, Boston and Ireland have also donated their services. [6] In 2001, Kelly and the Children First Foundation opened a farm in Kilmore known as the Open Door Rotary Farm, where she accommodates and cares for the children brought to Australia for treatment. Donated and built by Rotary, [7] the property includes a purpose-built house with 12 bedrooms where children having surgery and medical treatment can rehabilitate before returning home to their families. [8] The Children First Foundation has brought children to Australia for medical treatment from countries including Albania, Djibouti, East Timor, Indonesia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Nauru, Nigeria, Zambia and the Solomon Islands. [9]

Awards and recognition

In 2001, Kelly's humanitarian work was recognised with several awards, including the Prime Minister's Award for outstanding community service, the White Flame Award from Save the Children for her service to disadvantaged children, and she was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in recognition of her service to both the Australian and international communities. [10] In 2003, Kelly received the Victorian of the Year award, [11] and in 2003 and 2004, she was nominated for the Australian of the Year awards. [10]

A Compassionate Rage is a 2001 documentary film by Film Australia and Alan Lindsay following Kelly for 18 months on her missions overseas as she tries to organise medical treatment for sick and injured children. [6] [12]

In 2013 Kelly founded Global Gardens of Peace, a newly humanitarian organisation based in Melbourne, Australia to provide safe play and garden areas in post-war and third-world countries. Alongside a team of dedicated volunteers, the inaugural garden is to be established in Gaza City in Palestine.

During a 2017 concert of Coldplay, the band performed the song Imagine with Emmanuel Kelly in recognition of Moira Kelly's work.

Twins

Herself a twin, [13] Kelly is now the legal guardian of the originally cranially conjoined twins from Bangladesh, Trishna and Krishna, separated in 2009 in a 38-hour operation at Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital by a 16-member team of specialist medical and nursing staff led by Wirginia Maixner, director of neurosurgery at the hospital. [14] Their birth mother, a twenty-two-year-old student completing final exams at the Keshobpur Agricultural College in Jessore, gave the twins up for adoption in a Dhaka orphanage. [14] On 8 February 2012, their story was featured on the U.S. Public Broadcasting Service science television series NOVA . [15]

Kelly is also the adoptive mother of Iraqi-born brothers Emmanuel and Ahmed Kelly. [16] The brothers, born with "severely underdeveloped limbs" due to chemical warfare, were discovered by Kelly in 1998 at the Mother Teresa Orphanage in Baghdad. [16] Kelly brought them both to Australia for medical treatment and subsequently adopted them. In 2009, Ahmed and Emmanuel Kelly became Australian citizens. [17] Ahmed, a quadruple amputee and swimmer, represented Australia in the 50-metre breaststroke, 50-metre backstroke, 150-metre individual medley, and the 100-metre freestyle at the 2012 Summer Paralympics.

Emmanuel Kelly was a contestant on the 2011 season of The X Factor . He was cut from the competition on 11 September 2011, "after forgetting the lyrics several times during his performance." [18] Following his appearance on The X-Factor, he met with producers and auditioned for The Glee Project . [19] [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheng Yen</span> Taiwanese Buddhist nun (born 1937)

Cheng Yen or Shih Cheng Yen (Chinese: 證嚴法師, 釋證嚴; pinyin: Zhèngyán Fǎshī; Wade–Giles: Chêng4 Yen2 Fa3-shih1; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chèng-giâm Hoat-su; born Chin-Yun Wong; the 24th of the third Lunar month, 4 May 1937) is a Taiwanese Buddhist nun (bhikkhuni), teacher, and philanthropist. She is the founder of the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation, ordinarily referred to as Tzu Chi, a Buddhist humanitarian organization based in Taiwan. In the West, she is sometimes referred to as the "Mother Teresa of Asia".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elisabeth Murdoch (philanthropist)</span> Australian philanthropist and mother of international media proprietor Rupert Murdoch (1909-2012)

Dame Elisabeth Joy Murdoch, Lady Murdoch, also known as Elisabeth, Lady Murdoch, was an Australian philanthropist and matriarch of the Murdoch family. She was the wife of Australian newspaper publisher Sir Keith Murdoch and the mother of international media proprietor Rupert Murdoch. She was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1963 for her charity work in Australia and overseas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Children's Hospital</span> Hospital in Victoria, Australia

The Royal Children's Hospital (RCH), colloquially referred to as the Royal Children's, is a major children's hospital in Parkville, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Regarded as one of the great Children's hospitals globally, the hospital and its facilities are internationally recognised as a “leading centre for paediatrics”. The hospital serves the entire states of Victoria, and Tasmania, as well as southern New South Wales and parts of South Australia. Patients from countries with a Reciprocal Health Agreement with Australia may be treated at the hospital, with seldom cases of overseas children being treated at the hospital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catherine Hamlin</span> Australian obstetrician and gynecologist (1924–2020)

Elinor Catherine Hamlin, AC, FRCS, FRANZCOG, FRCOG was an Australian obstetrician and gynaecologist who, with her husband, New Zealander Reginald Hamlin, co-founded the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital, the world's only medical centre dedicated exclusively to providing free obstetric fistula repair surgery to poor women with childbirth injuries. They also co-founded an associated non-profit organisation, Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sima Samar</span> Hazara activist

Sima Samar is a Hazara woman and human rights advocate, activist and medical doctor within national and international forums, who served as Minister of Women's Affairs of Afghanistan from December 2001 to 2003. She is the former Chairperson of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) and, from 2005 to 2009, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Sudan. In 2012, she was awarded the Right Livelihood Award for "her longstanding and courageous dedication to human rights, especially the rights of women, in one of the most complex and dangerous regions in the world."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fe del Mundo</span> Filipino pediatrician

Fe Villanueva del Mundo,, was a Filipino pediatrician. She founded the first pediatric hospital in the Philippines and is known for shaping the modern child healthcare system in the Philippines. Her pioneering work in pediatrics in the Philippines while in active medical practice spanned eight decades. She gained international recognition, including the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service in 1977. In 1980, she was conferred the rank and title of National Scientist of the Philippines, and in 2010, she was conferred the Order of Lakandula. She was the first female president of the Philippine Pediatric Society and the first woman to be named National Scientist of the Philippines in 1980. She was also the founder and the first president of the Philippine Pediatric Society, the first Asian to be elected president of the Philippine Medical Association in its 65-years existence, and the first Asian to be voted president of the Medical Woman's International Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prakash Amte</span> Indian medical doctor and social worker

Prakash Baba Amte is a social worker from Maharashtra, India. Amte and his wife, Mandakini Amte, were awarded the Magsaysay Award for 'Community Leadership' in 2008 for their philanthropic work in the form of the Lok Biradari Prakalp amongst the Madia Gonds in the Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra and the neighbouring states of Telangana and Madhya Pradesh. In November 2019 he was awarded with ICMR Lifetime Achievement Award by Bill Gates.

Sankurathri Foundation (SF) was established in 1989 by Dr. Chandra Sekhar Sankurathri in memory of his wife Manjari, son Kiran and daughter Sarada, who died in the bombing of Air India Flight 182 off the coast of Ireland on 23 June 1985.

Wirginia June Maixner is an Australian neurosurgeon and the director of neurosurgery at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. She is known for having performed the first auditory brainstem implant on a child in Australia in 2007, and later having separated the conjoined twins, Trishna and Krishna in 2009.

HollyRod Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded by actress Holly Robinson Peete and retired NFL quarterback Rodney Peete that provides "medical, physical, and emotional support" to individuals living with Parkinson's disease as well as families of children with autism. The HollyRod4kids initiative assists families affected by autism through providing resources to help improve the lives of children diagnosed with the disorder. Concurrently, the foundation provides aid for Parkinson's Disease patients through its HollyRod Compassionate Care Program in partnership with the Center for Parkinson's Research and Movement Disorders located at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moira Stilwell</span> Canadian politician

Moira Stilwell is a Canadian politician and physician who served as the member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for the riding of Vancouver-Langara from 2009 to 2017. As part of the British Columbia Liberal Party caucus, she served in several cabinet posts under premiers Gordon Campbell and Christy Clark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lopez Family Foundation</span> Organization

The Lopez Family Foundation is an American nonprofit organization founded by sisters, Jennifer Lopez and Lynda Lopez in 2009. Although the sisters had wanted to create a charitable foundation for years, it wasn't until Jennifer's daughter Emme experienced a medical scare when they did. At the age of three weeks, a bump was discovered on Emme's head. Although she was okay, Jennifer felt that there are mothers and children who didn't have proper medical care and access to health systems. The sisters then partnered with Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the Telemedicine program to develop 'The Maribel Foundation'. It was named after Jennifer's then-husband Marc Anthony's sister Maribel, who died due to a brain cancer at age 8. While also partnering with companies such as Samsung and Best Buy, the foundation works to increase the availability of health care and health education to the less fortunate. As of 2012, its name has been changed to The Lopez Family Foundation. The foundation's slogan is Where children are concerned, there is no time to lose.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ahmed Kelly</span> Australian Paralympic swimmer

Ahmed Kelly is an Iraqi-born Australian Paralympic swimmer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kamala Selvaraj</span> Indian obstetrician and gynecologist

Kamala Selvaraj is an obstetrician and gynecologist from Tamil Nadu, India. Born to Tamil film actor Gemini Ganesan, she commissioned the first test tube baby of South India in August 1990. In 2002 she was awarded PhD for her thesis on "Premature Ovarian Failure and its management". She was also awarded the "Best Lady Doctor Award-1993" and "Rajiv Gandhi Memorial National Integration Award-1995". More than 800 babies have been born as a result of assisted reproduction therapy conducted by her hospital.

Martha M. MacGuffie (1924–2011) was the first woman reconstructive and plastic surgeon to graduate from the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University, in 1949. She was also the first woman surgeon to serve on the staff of a major suburban hospital, at Nyack Hospital in Nyack, New York. Macguffie helped establish the burns unit there and developed a water bed to reduce pain experienced by burn patients. During her 50-year medical career, MacGuffie treated over 50,000 patients. In 2003, the journal P&S published by the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia named her to their list of 15 "P&S Graduates who Helped Change the World". She died on March 7, 2011.

Rajashree Birla is an Indian philanthropist. She is married to the late Aditya Birla. After her husband's death in 1995, Rajashree began working in CSR and charity sectors, developing a large philanthropic organization funded by her family. In 2011, the Government of India honoured her with the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award, for her services to society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josephine Forbes</span> Australian scientist

Josephine Forbes is an Australian scientist specialising in the study of glycation and diabetes. She has been studying diabetes since 1999 and has worked at Royal Children's Hospital, University of Melbourne and Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne Australia. Since 2012 she has led the Glycation and Diabetes team at Mater Research which is a world-class medical research institute based at South Brisbane, and part of the Mater Group. Josephine is program leader for Mater's Chronic Disease Biology and Care theme, building greater understanding of the biological basis of a broad range of chronic diseases, and developing preventative strategies and innovative treatments to improve patient outcomes. Josephine and her team focus on how advanced glycation contributes to the pathogenesis of diabetes and its complications such as kidney disease.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelly McQueen</span> American anesthesiologist and global health expert

Kathryn Ann Kelly "Kelly" McQueen is an American anesthesiologist and global health expert. She currently practices anesthesiology at the UW Health University Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin and serves as the chair for the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public health.

AY Foundation (AY) is a charity foundation based in Philippines, that was established with the aim of Welfare for the Society. The foundation is focused in Child Development, Woman Empowerment, Old-Age Home & Also Provides Relief during Pandemic all across the Philippines.

Valerie Browning is an Australian nurse who is known for her work with Afar people in Ethiopia. She founded the Afar Pastoral Development Association and the Barbara May Hospital.

References

  1. ↑ "KELLY, Moira". It's an Honour. Australian Government. 11 June 2001. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lindsay, Alan. "A compassionate rage" (Press release). Film Australia. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 3 January 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Plowman, Jo (24 March 2001). "Australia's angel of mercy". Gold Coast Bulletin.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Curtin, Jennie (20 November 2009). "Soft and savvy: Moira goes into bat for desperate children". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  5. ↑ Kleinig, Xanthe (21 November 2009). "A life spent helping the helpless". The Daily Telegraph.
  6. 1 2 Sutherland, Claire (13 February 2002). "Saving kids is half the battle". Herald Sun.
  7. ↑ Sutherland, Claire (9 February 2002). "The Kelly gang". Herald Sun. News.
  8. ↑ Dubecki, Larissa (11 June 2001). "I Don't Want To Just Be The Person Who Takes Them To Hospital'". The Age.
  9. ↑ "Famous charity under pump". The Sunday Times. Perth, WA. 6 December 2009.
  10. 1 2 "Moira Kelly". Children First Foundation. Archived from the original on 28 January 2010. Retrieved 3 January 2010.
  11. ↑ Strong, Geoff (26 December 2003). "For Ishmail, Christmas brings a gift that's easy to digest". The Age.
  12. ↑ "A Compassionate Rage". Screen Australia. Retrieved 3 January 2010.[ permanent dead link ]
  13. ↑ "Separated twins released from hospital". SBS News. Special Broadcasting Service. Australian Associated Press. 21 December 2009. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  14. 1 2 "Twins' birth mum wants them to stay". SBS News. Special Broadcasting Service. Australian Associated Press. 21 November 2009. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
  15. ↑ "Separating Twins". USA: PBS. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
  16. 1 2 Cowley, Michael (6 April 2011). "Ahmed dreams of taking on the world with a little help from his special twin sisters". The Age. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
  17. ↑ McArthur, Grant (18 December 2009). "Brothers Ahmed and Emmanuelle Kelly beat deformities to be Aussies". Herald Sun. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
  18. ↑ "Fan Fury After Emmanuel Kelly Cut From X-Factor". News. 12 September 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
  19. ↑ "Emmanuel Kelly biography". Profile Talent. Archived from the original on 10 April 2013. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
  20. ↑ JMo and Elle (18 December 2011). "Emmanuel Kelly is on his way to The Glee Project". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.