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By Maureen E. Moran ’89
Charity may begin at home, but for two members of the Class of 1967, the desire to extend a helping hand doesn’t have geographical bounds.
Between them, Tom Hogan and Jack McCarthy have traveled thousands of miles to share their time and talents—Hogan, as an English teacher in the Ukraine, and McCarthy, as a psychologist at refugee camps and clinics on the Thailand/Burmese border. In their travels, they have helped to improve the lives of others, even as they gained greater insight into themselves.
Hogan’s decision to perform service work abroad evolved after the terrorist attack of Sept. 11, 2001. A lawyer by profession, he explains that his wife, Judith—a health teacher and school nurse—“looked at the world situation and wondered whether there were some way that we, in a modest way, could make a contribution.”
The couple did some soul-searching in 2002—talking with their children about what path to take—and, in January 2003, applied to the Peace Corps. Interviews followed in March and June, and, then, the Hogans learned that they had been accepted into the program. Offered their choice of three locations in which to serve, Bangladesh, Sub-Saharan Africa or Eastern Europe, they opted for Eastern Europe—a long way from their home in Litchfield, Conn. After an orientation in Chicago, the Hogans were off to the Ukraine in September 2003.
Initially, the couple—who were to serve as English teachers—found themselves in a suburb of Kiev, the capital city, for a three-month training program that involved practice teaching and language lessons.
“The eastern half of the country leans to Russia, and the western half wants to join the European Union,” Hogan says. “We knew that we would be going to a Ukrainian-speaking site, so we took Ukrainian, rather than Russian, lessons.”
Hogan, who had served in the Army from 1969-72, found that the training regime had a familiar feel.
“It reminded me of Officer Candidate School,” he says. “We were immersed in the culture, language and occupation we’d be pursuing.”
In December 2003, the newest crop of Peace Corps volunteers were sworn in, and, on Dec. 26, the Hogans arrived in the town of Khust, near the Romanian border.
“We were the only two Americans in the town, so as we walked down the street, we stood out,” Hogan recalls. “We felt warmly received by ordinary citizens, but the local bureaucrats and militia were still fighting the Cold War.”
Tom was assigned to teach conversational English to seventh-through-11th-grade students at a town-run school, while Judith taught at the local university. “In the beginning, I didn’t have any books, so I got poetry on the Internet, and it was a jumping off point for conversation,” Hogan says. “I’d also use the front page of The New York Times.”
It didn’t take long for him to notice some inconsistencies in his students’ behavior. Litter was a pervasive problem in the town, yet the students were very proud of their country and the natural surroundings, Hogan explains. As part of English class, “we’d talk about recycling, litter and environmental issues,” he says.
As the months went on, his lessons included how to play baseball—“they didn’t understand that they had to stop at the bases,” Hogan says with a chuckle—as well as discussions of ethical issues, including corruption and bribery at the school. “Judith and I debated, ‘Where does our job begin and end?’” he recalls. “We decided we’re supposed to teach, so let’s teach.”
Although they tackled close-to-home ethical questions, they shied away from discussions of the Iraq war and foreign policy. “We weren’t aware of how the Ukrainian people felt about the war, and [at that point] there were 1,500 Ukrainian troops in Iraq,” Hogan explains.
During their two-year assignment, the couple did some traveling in the region and spent Christmas 2004 in Connecticut. Their tenure with the Peace Corps ended in June 2005.
“We came back less judgmental than when we went,” Hogan says. “We were able to see a different part of the world and experience a different lifestyle. We learned to appreciate what we have here.”
And would they volunteer abroad again?
“The experience opened our eyes to what’s next,” Hogan explains, and a three-to-six-month stint with another organization is definitely a possibility. “We are open to service work again.”
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For Jack McCarthy, his path to the Mae Tao Clinic in Thailand began with a conversation.
A colleague, who is both a psychologist and a photographer, had taken pictures of a Burmese refugee camp in Thailand, just over the border from Burma. She returned to the United States determined to find mental health professionals to work with the refugees. When she presented the idea to Jack, he and wife, Peggy, decided to visit the camp and its clinic.
“My wife and I had visited our daughter in the Peace Corps in 1997 in Madagascar,” McCarthy says. “We were struck by her work in the Peace Corps, as well as by how to do some counseling internationally, so we had been thinking along these lines.”
Psychologists with expertise in post-traumatic stress disorder, the couple made their first trip to the clinic, located in Mae Sot, Thailand, in January 2000.
“We were so impressed with the people and [the clinic’s director] Dr. Cynthia Maung, who is the recipient of many international human rights awards, that it was more like falling in love than anything else,” he explains.
What was supposed to be strictly a visit quickly turned into a working trip as both McCarthy and his wife became involved with training medics to address the refugees’ mental health issues.
“There are a million Burmese refugees in Thailand, and 150,000 live in refugee camps,” he explains. “The Burmese dictatorship is one of the most repressive in the world.”
In the seven years since their first visit, the couple has made 17 trips from their home in South Dartmouth, Mass., to the Thai/Burmese border as part of Burma Border Projects, a non-profit organization started by Michael Forhan, a member of the Class of 1971 who left Holy Cross to join the Marine Corps. Because of the Burmese language’s complexity, they train Burmese medics and caregivers with community-based organizations through translators.
“We train the folks who do the counseling,” McCarthy says.
Developing the training curriculum was a trial and error process.
“Because of cultural differences,” he explains, “we found that, rather than try and figure out the differences ahead of time, it’s better to do the training and then allow a lot of time for people to ask questions and raise concerns.”
The Burmese living in Thailand have undergone a classic refugee experience: traumatic events, attacks by government forces, fleeing one’s homeland, loss of identity, rape. Addiction and anger are common problems among male refugees, and women often find themselves on the receiving end of violence. The training program addresses developing relationships; dealing with those who don’t want to change; problem-solving; and helping people process traumatic experiences.
The 800 Burmese medics and caregivers they have trained and the camp’s refugees may have learned life skills from the couple, but McCarthy says he has learned a great deal as well—including his own capacity to help develop a much-needed counseling program, something he never envisioned during their 2000 visit.
“It sounds a little like a cliché, but I’ve also learned how connected we all are,” he says.
The McCarthys’ next steps with the clinic are unclear.
“We realized that the training program needs to go to another phase,” he says. “I was asked by Dr. Cynthia to be the head trainer of the yearlong program, which is the biggest honor of my life.”
Finances, however, have put the project temporarily on hold. Burma Border Projects has provided airfare, as well as training and in-country expenses, but otherwise, the couple’s work has been strictly voluntary. Since 2004, McCarthy’s Holy Cross classmates have hosted four golf fundraisers to cover the costs of their trips and the training.
“How enthusiastic and compassionate these Holy Cross guys are,” he says.
McCarthy is proud of what he, Peggy and the other volunteers have accomplished with the training program.
“We didn’t go in with a model,” he says. “We developed it in response to what people asked for. I can look back at that and see it was a solid contribution.”
For more information about the McCarthys’ work in Thailand, or, to read Jack’s blog, visit www.burmaborderprojects.org.
Maureen E. Moran ’89 is a member of the GAA’s Communications Committee and a freelance writer and editor based in Canton, Mass.
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