I Love "Station 6"

TWECS mission in Villa El Salvador.... if you have seen photos of the Great Depression of the Dirty Thirties, this neighbourhood would fit right in! Half finished buildings, mud/sandy unpaved streets, dilapidated buildings... but Beauty People. Today I was blessed with helping many of the poorest of the poor regain some sight. One 81 year old gent went from "finger counting" at 5 feet to being able to see 20/30 with his +5.00 reading glasses and his +3.00 distance glasses. Another 70 year old fellow went from 20/800 to 20/40 with his new -4.00 glasses! And I have been blessed by being a helper in the eye glass dispensing divisions, so I get to see all the fruits of the labour of our team of 19 volunteers.

Typical yard on the clinic street, complete with dog curled up in the dirt.

Another typical yard with firewood in front for use in cooking.

Old VW in front of our clinic

Eye glass dispensing station with 10,000 to 11,000 used eye glasses all sorted by prescription power and by Men's, Women's and Children's styles.

This woman went from seeing 20/200 to seeing 20/20 with her new glasses!

Mona, our newest TWECS volunteer with a very happy patient who now sees again.

Friday our Final Day at Villa El Salvador

In the morning our new team members, Karin and Lilly find a trio of Quechua elders sitting outside our Visual Acuity station waiting patiently for the day to start.

Our 1 hour commute in the morning passes through interesting sites, all around us are many many barrios that make up the city of Villa El Salvador

Metro Lima is a city of 10 million, so it is not surprising our second day draws more crowds and a long morning line

More people keep coming hoping to get tickets

VA girls outside on the clinic wall working the tumbling E chart for everyone who shows up

 Rodger is checking the exit reading acuities for an elders new readers

Brenda and Marina with a Mom and her 8 year old girl, both get new glasses.

Mom gets -3.00 ou and the daughter gets -6.00 ou.

Lilley performing retinoscopy on a patient

The line up continues into the afternoon, most people in this barrio will never have another opportunity  for eye care

Another Quechua elder dressed nicely in her native clothes waits for the line to move.

A final good-bye to our hosts before boarding our bus and heading back to our Hotel one hour away.

Our transportation.

 Because of the severe traffic snarls all over Lima it took over 2 hours for us to get back to our hotel. Hopefully this is not a sign of what's ahead for us tomorrow on the way to Conto Grande.

Villa El Salvador

 Today we moved to south Lima into a district called Villa El Salvador where for the first time hundreds of patients were waiting for our arrival. We were up early at 6am for the hour long ride to the medical clinic that hosted us.

It didn't take long before our team members got into the swing of things. Annu and Dana  are hard at work in the hallway performing retinoscopy.

At one point the crowd was a little unruly, because they wanted to be sure they got their turn to be seen by a  foreign doctor. In true Peruvian fashion they settled down when they were told everyone will get in.

 Marina is at the back of the line trying to register the late-comers.

Another happy recipient of our collective efforts shows her appreciation.

Crowd control STMC style , show them a presence.

Julie the birthday girl takes a quick break from registration and the morning rush

Brenda knows her letters, she gets to control Row D.

Birthday girl Julie gets Row C

Pleasant and keen Zoe gets to register row A

 Ahron is happy with a B.

Tomorrow, an other day, we get to do it all over again. Hopefully there will be more memorable patients.

Reflections on my first 10 days in Peru

10 Days ago I landed in one of the most fascinating countries I have ever visited.  Due to time constraints I decided to do my sightseeing prior to the commencement of the project.  The rich cultural history of Peru’s Cathedrals, the adrenaline filled dune buggy racing across the South American desert or the culinary diversity of the street carts and restaurants make this an unforgettable destination.  And then there is Machu Picchu…  I will not diminish the impact it had on myself by attempting to translate that feeling into words.  All I can say is this is a must visit place for everyone.  Period.  I believe that I will leave this country a changed person, just like the thousands of people that are touched by Peru every day. 

However, thanks to TWECS, i truly believe that our Team's experience will far surpass that of others experiencing this unforgettable country.

Over the past 8 days in Peru I have met both Travelers and Locals. Most have been fascinating to engage with.  I was even in the middle of a protest involving hundreds of police and thousands of protesters, yet both police and the anti-police were friendly to me and each other.  It is not often you can say that a visit to a ten thousand person strong demonstration is a pleasnt experience.  I easily could have left this country after my sightseeing portion of the trip had concluded and felt that I had an amazing trip.  However, is actual truth, my Peruvian experience was about to begin…

Our Team had traveled by bus for about 75 minutes through the endless streets of Lima.  We dodged pedestrians and animals, we ascended mountains and battled the relentless traffic to arrive at our eyecare clinic.  A small crowd was forming, eagerly awaiting our arrival.  Our Team was excited to start the day, the patients were obviously excited and the smiles and waves greeted us.  I was the first of our Team to step off the bus In the District of San Juan del Lurigancho.   At this moment on Day 9 of my trip I started to experience the true heart of Peru.  An elderly woman reached out as if to shake my hand.  When I attempted to do so the handshake was bypasses and she went in for a hug.  This was not a quick thanks for helping hug, this was a deep welcome to my home and I wish to share with you hug.   Instantly I felt like a small part of the community.  And I later realized that the woman was quite literally hosting us in her home.  Our clinic site that day was in the upper 2 floors of her house.  

I proceed to move to the doorway of the clinic where the line started to form.  At the front of the line was an elderly gentleman hunched over in a chair.   The closer I got, the more he struggled to force himself to a standing position.  I motioned for him to stay seated, but he insisted on greeting our team in the most respectful position his frail body would allow.  He reached his gnarled hand out for mine and I humbly shook it.  This was a old man who apparently had spent a lifetime of hard labour.   His broken body and rough hands were the evidence.   He grasped onto my hand with his second hand to assure a tight and welcoming grip, while repeating Welcome, welcome, welcome in Spanish.  Any discomfort this gentleman was felling by attempting to stand up straight was masked by the ear to ear smile on his face.  

So 30 seconds after arriving in the Los Angeles neighbourhood of San Juan del Lurigancho district i received 2 gifts I will always remember.  A hug so heartfelt, it would be impossible not to feel welcome.  And a handshake that expressed gratitude and friendship better than words could even attempt to. 

As the day proceeded, my feeling of being welcomed into Peru was repeatedly reinforced.  Random children would run up to me and say, “me hope you have nice day” and then present a favorite rock they had collected.   Patients standing in the hot sun would fan our team members with their registration papers to cool them down.  Food was prepared for our team by community members and there was a consistent deluge of smiles and thank yous.  

David does what he does best AR

Yes, our team has traveled thousand of kilometers to provide free eye exams and free glasses.  We absolutely are providing a life changing gift to thousands.  Our Team is redirecting the course of people's lives from being visually impaired and reliant, to one of hope and potential.  But this project is not one of one way giving.  This is a symbiotic relationship.  The gifts provided by TWECS may be tangible but no less cherished than those received TWECS members. 

David doing crowd control....easy for a firefighter and Global medic volunteer for disasters

This is a remarkable country with fascinating attractions, and one of the friendliest populations on this planet.   I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit as a tourist and will never forget my experiences.  Furthermore, the ability to serve the people of Peru as a TWECS volunteer takes this trip to an elevated level.   

Dr. Marina Roma-March and Derrick March have built something very special.  They have created a global network of like minded people who are passionate about sharing.  This network consists of Canadian Doctors and Volunteers eager to share their skills, and time with those in developing countries.   And the patients who are so often eager to share their homes, countries, hugs and handshakes with our team.  

To Marina, Derrick, the TWECS Team and especially the people of Peru…

Muchas Gracias. 

Dream come true

 Clinic day 4 started off with coffee and a two hour bus drive to the clinic site. We were greeted by people from Jicamarca patiently awaiting for us to arrive.

Lots of smiles and many registration forms later, we were ready to evaluate everyone.

I mainly worked in dispensing after registration. This was also where the magic happened. 

People that have waited for hours between station 1,2,3,4,5, were finally brought in to station 6 to try on glasses perhaps for the first time.

This was where I shed a tear today, dispensing glasses to this beautiful abuelita. 

After thanking me, she instantly pulled out her book and read for at least 15 min in station 6. She looked up at us once in a while with this gorgeous thankful smile and gratitude in her eyes.

What an amazing experience it was for my first my project. I'm totally thrilled to be part of such an amazing team! Julie Levesque

PURE JOY

Four year old Mateo was definitely was not interested in having an eye exam especially after stinging eye drops were instilled. His mom had carefully tucked his "glasses" in a ziplock bag. She presented two small, badly scratched lenses; no frame to be found. Mateo was a most uncooperative, unresponsive patient but he provided us the opportunity to do the work we are  most proud of because Mateo would not be able to see to learn to read without glasses.

At 4 yrs of age he probably doesn't care much about this.

 

But TWECS cares and the day after his new glasses were dispensed to him (3 prs actually as he is an active little boy) I spotted him in the school yard. I felt pure joy to see him wearing his new glasses, albeit looking somewhat askew.

                     

Then after adjusting his glasses again...reluctantly I got a smile from him. And then would you believe he leapt into my arms for a huge bear hug!!!!
              
                     

A cute sweetheart who any out of her way to give me a hug for her glasses.

Dr. Katherine McKay

Photos by Delaney Querns

The Journey of a Thousand Steps Begins with Just One

When you hear a cliched comment like “the journey of a thousand steps begins with just one” or “a mountain can be moved, stone by stone,” you probably feel like scoffing and rolling your eyes. I get it, they represent an extreme scenario that we don't really experience in our lives. However, here in Jicamarca, the analogy couldn't be more appropriate or accurate.

The building of a home for a resident of Jicamarca begins by selecting a small plot of land; sounds fairly self explanatory right? Wrong. Any available space is typically high up in the hills, accessible only by steep Inca trails to be traversed on foot. While most of us (myself included) gripe about being unable to park close to the grocery store, imagine having to carry your groceries up an extremely steep incline, on an uneven and winding path that is likely only as wide as your shoulders. Oh, and add a child on your hip as well, just in case that scenario wasn't difficult enough. 

Homes here in Jicamarca are built first with wood, sporting no foundation, and are lacking in electricity and running water. Bricks are bought a few at a time; if I remember correctly, the average salary is 200 dollars US a month. If you take off the exorbitantly high price of water, food, and any other basic necessities, and you could be left with a few bricks a month. At that rate, a home could take years, potentially even decades to fully build, never mind the risk of earthquakes and flooding in that space of time.

Given these conditions and challenges, you might think the people who live here would have grown bitter, or developed a habit of putting themselves first out of necessity. If so, you couldn't be more wrong.

The people that we have seen in the last few days have been some of the most gracious, generous, and selfless people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. People will regularly step up to help others in line with questions and writing at registration, and are quick to point out if a person before them has been missed. I have received a remarkable number of hugs, kisses, and all manner of “thank yous” in the last three days, and I know the rest of the team has experienced the same. A couple of patients have shared treats such as candied peanuts or popcorn with me as a thank you for their glasses, while others have gifted me with great photos and laughter for requesting a “selfie.” 

Going on this trip, and Ecuador in 2013, serve as incredibly humbling and heartbreaking experiences (in the best way). I’ve met people I likely never would have encountered as a tourist, and by doing what feels like so little at the time, I am allowed the chance to play a part in the changing of a person’s life. Marina compared the glasses we provide to organ donation, and I wholeheartedly agree. In places like Jicamarca, a person’s vision is their life. Without adequate vision activities like work, school, and, well, essentially everything are more than limited. Remember the Inca trails on a steep incline? Imagine attempting that without the ability to see clearly past the end of your arm. Providing eye care to those without access or funds is not only a privilege, it's truly an honour. A gift. I have to thank Marina and Derek, and all of the volunteers on this trip and previous ones for making these little miracles happen, every day that we are here. 

So… perhaps it's fair to say that those “cliched comments” aren't so irrelevant after all.  

By Delaney Querns