A Team Indeed

To date we have had two full days of clinics resulting in 1,183 people registered and had eye exams.  Of the 1,183 eye exams, several resulted in no prescription needed.  Of the remaining eye exams, 284 pairs of eyeglasses were dispensed.  Some people received two pairs of glasses; a pair for reading and a pair for distance.  Fifty-six special order eyeglasses were prepared for prescriptions we could not fill.  Frames were fitted to the people and the lenses will purchased locally by TWECS for the new owner to pick up at a predetermined location within two weeks.

Of the team of 19, seven are on a TWECS project for the first time.  The other 12 are on either their second, third, or fourth except for Derrick and Marina, where this is project number 23.

First timer, Sharyn, a bookkeeper from Mill Bay, B.C. has found the experience to be "overwhelming, rewarding, and well worth it".  She went on to share that she was nervous working with the language barrier and that teachers helped all day to make the experience easier.  "The whole process was rewarding from start to finish," Sharyn added.

Marina and Derrick are the organizers.  If a team member suggests a solution to an impending problem, they are quick to accept the idea if it makes the process  run smooth and efficient.  For example, adding numbers

outside classroom doors so the optometrist can send a patient to #4 rather than trying to give complicated directions.

Often it is not known how the clinic will be set up until we arrive.  Will it be one big room or several small rooms.  Are the rooms close in proximity or are they a distance apart? Are there tables?  Are there chairs?  Chairs or benches are a must for the elderly to have a place to wait.  Sometimes the wait can be hours, depending on the number of people that show up.  The team is quick to adapt to make it happen and run smoothly.

Katie, also a first timer and an optician/manager from

Whistler says, "We are so lucky to live in Canada. People [in Ecuador] are so happy even though they are poor.  They do not have material items, they needed to come to us.

At least one man at the clinic had never had an eye exam.  This was his first. TWECS made it possible for the exam and the ability to provide glasses for better vision.

"I feel so fortunate to come," Katie adds.  "I saved for a whole year."