Global Mission
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The clinics were initiated by Mosaic board member, Mark Klever, and his wife, Pastor Karen Parker, who organized the mission trip to eastern Africa. They recruited four U.S. medical volunteers including two optometrists (Jeff Foreman and Greg Hagedorn), an ophthalmologist (Eric Bligard), and a retired medical doctor (Ollie Stautland) to spearhead the effort. A local professional, Dr. Gasper Mmari, professor of optometry at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center (KCMC), and several of his students provided support.
Eye health is one of the key challenges in Tanzania. The leading contributor to blindness is cataracts in which the lens in the eye becomes cloudy, eventually leading to blindness. Other conditions include refractive error, usually correctable by spectacles.
According to Helen Keller International, Trachoma (a bacterial infection of the eye), can cause blindness and affects about 40 districts in 18 regions in Tanzania where 150,000 people currently await surgery to prevent blindness. Onchocerciasis (river blindness) also affects Tanzanians in areas with fast flowing rivers like Tanga. All of these conditions can be prevented or treated and the challenge in Tanzania is to ensure that no one becomes avoidably blind.
Working through Mosaic's international alliance, IMPACT, and in partnership with the ELCT-ND's Building a Caring Community Project (BCC), eye clinics were scheduled in five locations: Maasae Girls' Lutheran Secondary School, two BCC centers (Majengo and Moshi Cathedral), Faraja Primary School (for physically handicapped children), and Comprehensive Community-Based Rehabilitation in Tanzania. Most of the children and families served through the BCC project took advantage of the opportunity to participate in the clinics as did staff, friends and neighbors. Even the diocese's Bishop Martin Shao came to have his eyes tested -- happily, his current glasses fit the bill so no change was in order!
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Patients first received drops to dilate their eyes for subsequent examination. The next stop was one of three stations set up for initial eye testing, using numbered eye charts and the traditional "E" charts. Based on results, participants were either given a hearty congratulations on their vision or escorted to a line of people waiting to see the doctors. Many passed the acuity tests with flying colors, but many more required reading glasses or sunglasses due to constant sun exposure. Others needed prescription glasses that were provided on the spot. Several older individuals had cataracts that severely impaired their vision; a few, including a 4-year-old boy and an 18-year-old girl, were diagnosed with traumatic glaucoma. They, along with others with glaucoma and/or cataracts, were referred to Kilamanjaro Christian Medical Centre for surgery.
The fact that an average eye exam and glasses cost approximately $25 in Tanzania and the average monthly income is less than $40 helps explain the volume of people who
attended the free clinics. Their gratitude was often conveyed through words, smiles and even tears. Although it was five days of hard work and long hours, the many children and adults smiling broadly and proudly posing for pictures in their new glasses made it memorable. "The crowning reward was when the first person got glasses, a 14-year-old girl at the MaaSae school, and she turned and looked at me and said thank you," Mark Klever said.
