The End

The final clinic day is done and the send off parties are over. 5700 patients have been seen and over 5000 eyeglasses given away. Wow, what a successful project! Many thanks must go to the incredible Olongapo volunteers of Mayor Bong and Nikka trading who provided great support in security, direction and translation. As you can see from the photo it took many caring hearts to serve 5700 of those less fortunate.  After saying goodbye to this eclectic lot, the TWECS Team spent a few days R&R in Manila before flying out for the hustle and bustle of their normal lives in Canada. The Team travels home with fresh memories of new friends, kind faces and touching moments they will retell to their loved ones.

By the end of the second week, we were averaging 700 patients per day, 200 more from the first week.  The first week was a bit of an adjustment for everyone and a steep learning curve for new team members.  Not only are you battling the extremes of temperature, humidity, acclimatization, and jet lag, your digestive system is also adjusting to the new foods, and bacterial flora.  Emotionally, you are battling your anxiety as you share rooms and meals with complete strangers and live on a regimented schedule of eat, work and sleep.  Mentally your battling the self-doubt, the doubt that you can handle the challenges and surprises to come. You have definitely jumped outside your comfort zone.  And so the first clinic day comes with lots of questions from team members. But by the end of it, everyone better understands their role, their strengths and their reason for being there.  By the second week, you have won the battles of heat and food and jet lag. And team members are no longer strangers, but life long friends you have formed a kinship with.  And it is then you realize the anxiety you felt earlier has become joy and humility in seeing the happiness that a pair of used eyeglasses can make to those less fortunate in the world. And you get it! You get what it is all about! And it is not about you!

There were certainly memories from this project that I will cherish forever.  TWECS projects always allow us to immerse and experience all strata of the society.  And we leave with a sense of gratitude for the blessings in our lives.   But most of all we leave with the smiles, hugs, tears and thank you’s from the poor of Olongapo etched in our hearts forever and they will endure us during our times of adversity.  They are the images that inspire us to return. We hope our first TWECS blog has given you a glimpse of the work we do and the miracles we see from a pair of eyeglasses.  Please help us to continue our work overseas by donating what you can.

Marina Roma-March