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January 8, 2006
 On Sunday January 8th I had the great honor of meeting one of my Canadian heroes, Lieutenant General Romeo D'Allaire.
Speaking at a political fundraiser, General D'Allaire discussed human rights issues from the global perspective. D'Allaire was force commander in the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Rwanda in 1994. During the genocide that ensued, surrounded by chaos and left without international diplomatic support, he struggled to save the lives of thousands of Rwandans.
I was most inspired by his vision of Canadians as leaders of the world's peacekeeping forces and our responsibility as individuals to stand by our humanitarian values.
I was moved to tears several times during the evening, so made it a point to greet him personally. My clumsy attempt at engaging him in French was met with a gracious response in English! Despite the crowd waiting to speak to him, D'Allaire was warm, genuine and kind. He listened attentively as I briefly described the objectives of The African Touch, then encouraged me in my efforts to develop the Massage Academy Project.
I would encourage you to learn more about this exemplary man by reading his book, Shake Hands With the Devil, which has also been made into a documentary film.
December 14, 2005
CBC radio interview
December 2, 2005
CFUV radio interview
August 10, 2005
Healing African Poverty - by Michelle Martin, Saanich News - Wednesday, August 10, 2005
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