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Two new showrooms/office spaces, double height (135 sq m each with bath) for lease in upscale Campal/Miramar beach area, Panaji, Goa. Contact: [email protected] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 'We don't have to be in Goa to improve it' Says Herman Carneiro who plans to include online medical expertise on his flagship Goan website CORDELIA WOLFRAM Times News Network The Goan diaspora is spread far and wide. Yet distance has failed to deter them from contributing to improving the lives of Goans. For many of them, connecting to their homeland means at best, annual visits. If not, it involves socialising at Goan clubs or keeping abreast of information via the super highway - Internet. One of the oldest and largest Goan websites, which today brags of 12,000 subscribers and several more online hits, was started by a young and dynamic doctor-in-the-making, Herman Carneiro. Although born and brought up in Kenya and the US, Herman believes you can make a difference at home from anywhere. He says, "We don't all have to be in Goa to love it and to work to improve it. We can work in our local Goan communities to help out as well." Herman has just graduated from medical school. He has a masters in epidemiology with a focus in infectious disease control. Right now, he's in a training programme in London. Combining medicine with the website he started on his 18th birthday, he has launched an online network of Goan doctors and health professionals. Via e-mail, he talks about this exciting project and about being a Goan abroad reaching out to Goans at home. Q: What motivated you to start a network of Goans? >From a very young age, the value of having a close-knit community and supporting one another was instilled in me. I missed that sense of belonging when I moved to Boston, USA for university, where there were few Goans. Here I was introduced to the Internet. Interaction was limited and there weren't any online Goan groups. Once I had enough people, I thought it would be nice to start the first Goan network online, to create a close-knit community like I had in Kenya, only on a global scale. Q: How does the website connect Goans across the globe? Members discuss issues, both historical and current, that affect Goa and Goans around the world. We try to promote the language, Konkani, but I think we can do a better job of that. The website functions as a non-profit organisation as well as running community-building projects in Goa. We promote local businesses by giving them free advertising at times. Our latest creation is an online network of Goan doctors and health professionals. Through this network, we can share research happening in Goa or that which has an impact on the health of Goans. We share our collective expertise in improving the health of Goans or healthcare in Goa. This acts as a notification network in the event of outbreaks of disease. I'd like more health professionals to join this network. Q: Would you think of returning to Goa? I feel like moving to Goa one day. But... I have so much more to accomplish before that. I will definitely contribute to Goa though. I hope the network of health professionals takes off. There's a lot of potential in that network to contribute in Goa in so many ways, be it free clinicals or channelling our expertise to improve health and healthcare in Goa. Q: As a young Goan living abroad, why did you feel compelled to connect with Goa? I think that when people in Goa think of us being born and brought up outside Goa, they assume we've lost our heritage. It's true in a lot of cases. Many of the young Goans today have lost their heritage and don't care to find their roots. They are integrated into their home communities and Goa is nothing other than a tourist destination for them. It's understandable. However, this is not true with all. I may not have lived in Goa, but I am very much Goan. I feel a sense of pride, duty and belonging to Goa and Goans. [email protected] http://tinyurl.com/o75883
