MacDonnells lawyer keeps it real
MacDonnells Law associate Edith Frankling will be trading her corporate office, contracts and court appearances in three weeks for a role as a volunteer in Uganda.Frankling, who works in
MacDonnells Law associate Edith Frankling will be trading her corporate office, contracts and court appearances in three weeks for a role as a volunteer in Uganda.
Frankling, who works in planning and environment, will spend two months in a volunteer position with Christian organisation Watoto to help orphaned and vulnerable children.
She said she took up the position because she wanted to see children experience the love that she had growing up in Australia and because she will also meet the child she sponsors through Watoto.
"I have been so blessed and believe it is important to share those blessings with others. I am also excited about having this opportunity to live in a country and experience a culture that is so removed from Australia and to be able to serve in a practical way," she said.
The children, who have been abandoned by their families through to the consequences of HIV/AIDS, are housed in villages with surrogate mothers and provided with clothing, food and education.
Frankling has travelled to Cambodia and funded the construction of a water well in 2007 and participated in a mission trip to Thailand in February.
"We volunteered with an organisation called 'Destiny Rescue' which helps young girls who have been sold, often by their parents, into prostitution. We built sanitary infrastructure, fish ponds and generally helped out where we could in the local villages and the orphanages. That trip really opened my eyes to the needs of communities in developing countries," she said.
"These experiences bring a balanced perspective into my life which, in turn, brings a fresh reality to the work that I do as a lawyer every day."