Trip in memory: Jude Edwards will visit Cambodia to mark the anniversary of her brother's death. Picture: Mike Sea
A LOVE of travel has seen Jude Edwards visit as many countries as she is years old, but her next trip will be for something else close to her heart.
The Castle Hill resident, 40, will volunteer at an orphanage in Cambodia for three weeks in memory of her brother William, who died of AIDS 20 years ago at 26.
"For his age William had a remarkable life and I wanted to do something just as remarkable in his honour," she said.
"He is the youngest boy and I'm the youngest girl [of 12 children] and we always got on extremely well. He loved to travel and I loved to travel so I wanted to do something international."
Mrs Edwards said she chose Cambodia to volunteer because the country has the highest number of AIDS cases in Asia, and many children are orphaned when their parents contract the disease.
"A lot of the children who are in the orphanages, their parents are still living with HIV, but are unable to care for their children because they're discriminated against and can't hold a job," she said.
"There's still a lack of education in Cambodia and the discrimination is enormous, so there's a lot of work to be done."
Mrs Edwards will leave her husband Craig and son Fletcher, 5, at home on March 2 and fly to Phnom Penh for three days of orientation before being allocated a place at an orphanage in Siem Reap, Phnom Penh or Pursat.
She has read a lot about Cambodia's history and HIV education initiatives in preparation for her trip, and raised money to buy items such as CDs, colouring pencils and computers for the orphanage.
"I'm taking some first aid kits that people have donated," she said.