by Janet Smellie
Northern News Services

NNSL (May 16/97) - When Samantha Naidoo makes the long journey to state of Kerala in India this fall, she won't just be any ordinary Crossroads International representative bent on raising cross-cultural awareness.

Her agenda is also a personal one -- one of discovering her roots and her ancestral beginnings.

Naidoo and fellow Yellowknifer Elaine Whitford will join about 150 Canadians placed in a developing country as part of Canadian Crossroads International, a non-profit organization that allows Canadians to volunteer their time and skills overseas.

"Crossroads, for me, is more than just hoping to help out people in developing countries because India is where my ancestry is," Naidoo says, adding, "Even though I was born in South Africa, my ancestors are from India."

Naidoo, who currently works as a graphic artist at Northern News Services, hopes that her placement with the Peermade Development Society in the Idukki District in the state of Kerala will allow her to teach the staff her skills.

Elaine Whitford, who says she signed up as a candidate after her son, Warren, returned from a trip to Swaziland and said "Mom, you'd make a good candidate," will be travelling to Nepal for her placement this December.

Because her work in Yellowknife has been in the social sciences field, Whitford hopes to be able to get into Nepalese schools, where she can offer students some lessons Canada.

"In Canada I think we've become very narrow and comfortable in our lives. In poorer countries, it's another whole matter, I hope to gain an understanding of the culture and encourage communications at the grassroots level," Whitford says.

On the other end of the exchange, Crossroads will bring a Nepal Crossroads volunteer to Yellowknife this fall.

Altogether six Canadians will be placed in India through Crossroads this year, while India celebrates her 50 years of independence from British rule.

Yellowknife's Crossroads committee is holding an information session next Wednesday night at the Library at 7:30 for anyone interested in signing up for next year's exchanges.