MARY HARP-JIRSCHELE: EYE CARE MISSION IN PANAMA

 

Through the World Service Committee grant Mary Harp-Jirschele and the Volunteer Optometric Service to Humanity (VOSH) group were able to help put glasses on 856 people at a makeshift clinic set up 7 ½ hours west of Panama City in a village called Petrillo Arriba. This year the group was hosted by an organization called “Youth With a Mission” YWAM for short.  They have a base camp in the middle of nowhere in Panama, which is where they typically like to be because it is where the most need is.  The eye clinic was set up in an old school about 3 miles from camp.  There was a courtyard for the kids to play in close by so the parents could keep an eye on them.  VOSH brought soccer, tennis and baseballs and the kids could not believe their good fortune.  Interestingly, at the end of the day, the balls were left right in the middle of the courtyard.  In the end, VOSH gifted them to a teacher at the school who helped set up every day and she walked more than an hour each day, each way, to help them out.  While the children were playing in the courtyard, VOSH was serving their parents in their little makeshift clinic.  You cannot even imagine the look of surprise when someone sees clearly for the first time in their lives.  They actually had a woman say, “This is the first time I’ve seen my baby’s face,” It truly is a miracle. This year they carried about 3,000 pairs of glasses with them in suitcases and shipped another 600 or so ahead of time.  Add to that hundreds of sunglasses in another bag.  The people of the village and surrounding area are like every other central American place they have been to.  The people work harder than anyone should have to just put food on the table, where there are no frills but much contentment, where access to things we take for granted-like running water- is a luxury residents will never see in their lifetime.  There was electricity most of the time in this area and cell phones are becoming more apparent.  Out of about 900 people they saw a few stories stood out.  There was a 90 year old man who had never had glasses in his life.  When he was outfitted in his glasses in the dispensary, he stood up and announced to the crowd, “Nuevo hombre” – I am a new man!” Everyone Cheered!  There was an 81 year old woman who was a tiny little thing.  They found the perfect little stylish pair of glasses for her little face, and they was so excited to put them on for her.  The woman did not say anything…she just kept looking around.  People’s reactions are so different.  They finally asked her what was wrong.  She quietly said, “I just never expected this.  I can see.” When all is said and done, the bottom line is consistent each year; they make a difference in the lives of not just the people they serve, but also in their own lives.  Mary’s closing comment in her journal one year said it best:  “The world is bigger than what WE know, and it’s good to be reminded of that occasionally-whether it’s in a big way like this kind of trip or in a smaller way at your favorite nonprofit back home.  Either way, you come to realize how blesses we really are.”  VOSH is very blessed that the Rotary Club of Appleton chose to provide $1,000 from the World Service Fund for this trip.  It made a WORLD of difference in the lives of some wonderful people.