news, latest-news, Syria, Syrian refugees, refugee, Greece, Lotus Wellbeing Centre, health, volunteer, Wollongong

After 28 years as a naturopath and nutritionist at the Lotus Wellbeing Centre Sharyn Hocking is fulfilling a dream by heading overseas to make a difference as a volunteer in a refugee camp for a couple of weeks. Mrs Hocking is an original at Lotus having worked in three Crown Street locations over the last three decades. She recalls the first wellbeing centre being at the top end of the mall opposite the Pavlova Pantry. But next week she is heading to Greece to work in a Syrian refugee camp. She is paying all her own travel costs and has set up a fundraising page to help the people she meets. While she has thought about such a mission for years she is not really sure what to expect or how she is going to react. All she knows is she wants to help the refugees by using her skills as a naturopath and nutritionist the best way she can before returning to Wollongong to continue to practice at Lotus in lower Crown Street Mall. “It is something I have been thinking about wanting to do for a while. I have a good life and it is time to give back a little bit. A naturopath who runs a volunteer agency was calling out (on Facebook) for nutritionists,” she said. Mrs Hocking is joining a team of 25 international doctors, nurses, nutritionists and naturopaths travelling to Greece next week. “I am a little nervous. I have done a lot of travel but I never been with a group of people who are so traumatised. In November I found out I was going. Since then I have been doing some fundraising. We raised about $600 from a cloths swap at Lotus. With the fundraising page I have risen about $2500 which I am going to be taking as cash and using where it is needed in the camps.” The 25 strong team is being split into groups who are being sent to different camps. “I am going to be working at the camp called Ritsona which is an hour north-east of Athens. It is an established camp for refugees who are waiting for their processing. One of the teams with doctors and triage nurses is going down to the islands where people are arriving. That is more emergency relief”. Mrs Hocking will be working with Swedish organisation Lighthouse Relief Hella. “I will particularly be working in a women’s refuge. I will be supporting women and children who’ve been traumatised. I will be helping to encourage and maintaining breastfeeding practices. We will be identifying malnutrition in children. There are a lot of unaccompanied minors in that camp so I will helping children with their nutritional status. They also have a sexual health clinic there and they also help women who are domestic violence victims. It creates a space for women and young children to come and feel safe.” Mrs Hocking said the good thing about going as part of a team was that the members will also be able to support each other.

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