Keli Hiatt Anderson, a native of North Ogden and professional photographer, recently had the opportunity, to travel to Greece with the non-profit organization called Carry the Future.
She was one of 8 women who, for 10 days, left the comforts of home and family to give relief to down-trodden refugees thousands of miles away. This relief came in the form of baby carriers.
“So many things were put in place for me to go on this trip. I felt like the Spirit was telling me I needed to go. I honestly didn’t know why then but it’s becoming clearer to me now-- because now I can help other people get involved.”
Before this all began, however, Keli came across a story on Facebook regarding the refugees. “I had been watching the news and, thinking for months that, I wanted to help these people. I started collecting baby carriers from my neighbors and then I heard there was a local drive to send carriers to California.”
By the time Christmas season approached, Keli was selling her photography to earn money for more carriers. Next, she joined Carry the Future’s Facebook page and decided to fill out an application to go on a distribution trip. About a month later she heard back and received the news she was chosen to go to Greece with Cristal Logothetis, the founder, and take pictures. “I was very excited about it!” she said.
After putting out a blanket email requesting fundraising help from family and friends, Keli was surprised to receive a phone call that night from her husband’s uncle who offered to pay the $1,500 airfare fee.
From Carry the Future’s website, we learn of their mission which is: “To provide relief to refugee families while they are on their journeys to asylum. We specialize in giving baby carriers to families with babies and toddlers. We hand-deliver the carriers to refugees and also fit them and instruct them on proper use to ensure safety for the baby…”
Recently, from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ General Conference, it was said, “There are an estimated 60 million refugees in the world today, which means that 1 in 122 humans have been forced to flee their homes,” and half of these are children. A larger proportion of them are well educated, and all have had to abandon homes, schools, and jobs.”
Keli was trained, along with all of her team members, as to how to place the baby carriers on the shoulders of the weary parents-- helping them free up their hands as they traveled.
“Everyone had a job in our group. One was a ferry tracker; one was a mother bear making sure we had food, water and worked well together. Others were team leaders, social media gurus, photographers, and transportation specialists.”
Keli was privileged to be the team’s photographer capturing beautiful moments between her team and the refugees with whom they came in contact.
The first encounter Keli had with the refugees was in a port, like a terminal, where she met a woman whom she fitted with a carrier by herself. She was a mother, pregnant, with 3 little girls. Keli tells us, “She wanted me to fit her higher-- above her belly and then I noticed her daughter didn’t have socks so we gave out socks. Mom was completely bare footed, too, so I also gave her socks.”
Trying to prepare herself for the feelings she might have, Keli tells us that, “Emotionally it was very difficult to go on the trip. I mentally tried to detach myself, but it caught up with me. On the 4th or 5th day walking into one of the camps, I saw a Mom and Dad bathing their 18-month old with a water bottle over a storm drain. I thought, ‘That could be me’ and it hit me hard. I went home and cried.”
Elder Patrick Kearon, from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spoke about the refugees in early April’s General Conference. “It has been inspiring to witness what Church members from around the world have generously donated to help these individuals and families who have lost so much.”
Keli, who is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, has literally been able to lighten the load of those refugees in Greece, while offering kindness along the way. “The last few days I left my camera at the hotel and I just wanted to be in the thick of it and help people. I think this will go down in my personal history.”
To learn more go to: www.CarrytheFuture.org
