Heart of Africa by Bernie Gilmore is a wonderful, personal and insightful record of your experience with the London team in Ethiopia, and especially the remarkable adventure, service, and work that you carried out in Camp Bete.
David MacDonald: Canada’s Emergency Coordinator for African famine and former Ambassador to Ethiopia.
On a particular day, in the fall of 1984, when you turned on your television, you thought something had gone wrong with the screen. It appeared what we called “fuzzy” back then, and when you turned the right dials, it cleared. Something had gone wrong yes, but not with the screen. As you looked closer you could see a panorama view of thousands of people barely walking: the fuzziness of the screen was caused by an enormous dust cloud from the parched Ethiopian countryside.
Reviews:
“Heart of Africa is a memoir recounting the personal experiences of Bernard James Gilmore during his time in Ethiopia as a medical relief volunteer. A group of passionate citizens of Kingston, Ontario, came together to create Kinsmen African Medical Relief (KAMR) in response to the severe drought crisis that hit the African nation in the mid-1980s. Bernard was assigned to famine-stricken Ethiopia in 1985 as a member of Camp London, the fifth medical team under the auspices of KAMR. With his wife Christine and two-year-old son Kevin, Bernard embarks on an unknown adventure that will change the course of his life and that of many more. In this book, he narrates the efforts of his fellow relief workers in an exotic land with a unique culture and people.
Heart of Africa is an inspirational memoir that shows the lengths to which thousands of relief volunteers go to help those in need and make this world a better place to live. Author Bernard James Gilmore’s touching memoir brings a ray of hope in an increasingly volatile world. The book perfectly demonstrates that no matter what culture or ethnicity you belong to, the basic needs of every man, woman, and child are a birthright to which they should have access. The author recounts riveting personal anecdotes about his experiences in Ethiopia, including traversing beautiful yet wild and untamed locales, embracing the rich culture and heritage, and connecting with some truly unique and vibrant people. I thoroughly enjoyed Heart of Africa. Highly recommended.”
- Pikasho Deka for Readers’ Favorite
