Kate Day -author-told a fascinating story of the life and work of Dr Edric Baker and how she came to spend 7 years researching and writing his biography, "Call Me Brother". Kapiti Rotary supported Edric's work over many years to help him establish and maintain the Kailakuri Health Centre in Bangladesh -including having to smuggle funds into Bangladesh!
Edric was awarded a Paul Harris Fellow by the Club in recognition of his heroic work.
Previously Edric had experience in Vietnam providing health care to the local people who were left without medical care when the staff had to work in the battlefield units.
Inspired by the life and missionary work of Albert Schweitzer, Eric chose to go to Bangladesh, where he spent 30 years establishing a health service and training 90 local people to work with him.
He created a cheap and simple way for local people to test their blood sugars (as diabetes is rampant).
Kate first encountered Edric at her Nelson church on one of his regular fundraising trips home. He was electric with passion for the project: providing staggeringly low cost primary health care to the people of Kailakuri.
Kate once jumped on a plane and rode a bus for 10 hours to interview Edric. After his death in 2015, she was asked to embark on his biography. She resisted but eventually caved in and began the work.
Kate said the enduring legacy Edric left was to see the potential in ordinary people to do what was necessary, and to have grace for oneself.
Buy the book or donate here: https://www.kailakuri.com/