UWindsor nursing alumna Nancy Edwards (BScN 1974) worked as a community health nurse in the west African country of Sierra Leone for five years in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

She chronicles a journey that is both poignant and humorous in her solo show Rethinking Good Intentions, which she will perform during the 50th reunion of her graduating class, Oct. 3 in the SoCA Armouries.

Edwards, now based in Ottawa, shares stories both poignant and humorous of how her experiences in villages of Africa rattled her cultural preconceptions, provoked her notions of social privilege, and forever deepened her global connections.

With the patient guidance of local mentors, she adjusted to life and field-work realities and rethought the delivery of preventive maternal and child health services. The play is filled with stories about Edwards’ initially blundered and then inspired encounters with village chiefs, traditional birth attendants, and subsistence farmers.

She has performed it at five fringe festivals this summer and will bring it for a free presentation at 3 p.m. Thursday in the Armouries’ Performance Hall. Register here to attend.

The nursing class of 1974 reunion runs Oct. 3 to 5.