Douglas grad to work with Ecuadorian orphans

Nicole Steele isn't afraid of living without modern conveniences like electricity or a toilet.

She's not afraid of being the only American in a small missionary outpost or living in a community in the middle of the Amazon that's a one-hour walk away from the nearest town when she moves to Ecuador at the end of August.

"I'm not really scared," she said. "I know what culture shock is. I know the highs and lows of homesickness. There's no doubt in my mind that it's going to be hard. But it's so much more than what I could get working in a cubicle in Chicago."

For Steele, 2003 Douglas High School valedictorian and 2007 graduate of the University of Notre Dame, moving to Ecuador for a year to work in an orphanage is a continuation of what she started as an undergraduate international peace studies and theology major.

Steele, 22, spent three months in 2006 working in Mbale, Uganda, as an intern at the Foundation for Sustainable Development where she documented case studies and taught three days a week at a primary school.

"(Uganda) really prepared me," she said. "It really motivated me to do something like this after graduation."

On Aug. 25, Steele will once again move abroad, this time for a year of volunteer work for an orphanage run by Salesian nuns in Sevilla don Bosco, Ecuador.

Like the Jesuit order which is best known for its work in education, the Salesians are a Roman Catholic religious order that focuses on care for poor children.

Steele will live in the orphanage, teach English, and possibly social studies, and help with the nuns' outreach in surrounding indigenous areas.

She believes that living at the orphanage will be an important part of her experience, allowing her to live like her hosts instead of being treated as a privileged guest during her time in Ecuador.

She hopes to eventually use the experience as a springboard into a career helping fight poverty either in the developing world or in the United States.

"Right now I need to go and live it before I can go and advocate for Third World policy changes," Steele said.

Much of her passion about working to fight poverty comes from her experiences in Africa. Steele said she considered going back to Africa after graduation, a region she became interested in as she learned more about the conflict in Darfur.

In Uganda, Steele toured refugee camps in the northern part of the country where the U.N. estimates more than 1.5 million people have been displaced because of a 20-year conflict between the Ugandan government and a rebel group, the Lord's Resistance Army.

After seeing conditions in the refugee camp, Steele says she's been frustrated by America's focus on Darfur.

"In American we can only handle one African conflict at a time," Steele said. "It's frustrating because it's not the only problem."

Despite her love of Africa, Steele was interested in perfecting her Spanish and working on a faith-based project. She will go to Ecuador through Vides USA, a Salesian missionary institute that provides volunteer opportunities for young adults.

Steele said she believes in religion as a peace building force, but more often than not religion has been a divisive issue in world affairs.

"It should contribute to peace making," she said.

Steele will discuss her coming trip to Ecuador at a fundraiser at the St. Gall Pastoral Center on Aug. 18 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. There will be a potluck dinner and a raffle for a painting. The dinner is free, but guests may donate whatever they want to put toward Steele's volunteer expenses.

Any money raised over Steele's expenses will be donated to the orphanage in Ecuador.