Vision Screening Part 2

We began our Monday by meeting with the Red Cross and the Minister of Public Health to get a understanding of the roles each of them will play in our vision screening project.  After our meeting with them we returned to the office of the Minister of Education and Science to sign a Memorandum of Understanding and have a press conference. 

 

 

 

After the press conference we met with all five of the organizations we will be working with for a luncheon meeting where we showed them a power point presentation describing what each organization's part will be. 

 



We feel that all involved were very supportive and excited about the project.   We learned that there has been no vision screening for the children since the war (1992).  The screening will be for all the children in the schools in Tuzla (9,000) as well as the younger children will be screened when they come to the out patient clinic for their immunizations.  Statistics have shown that approximately 5% of all the children screened will have a vision problem.  We hope to have all the screening in the schools completed by the end of May.  If just one child can be helped to avoid blindness or visual impairment, all the work will be worth it.

Tuesday we drove to Zagreb, Croatia, to drop the Ferguson off at a hotel near the airport so that they could catch a flight early the next morning.  We then turned around and came home.  This drive round trip takes about 9 hours and we have to cross two borders going and two coming back. 

Since we did not get enough driving in on Tuesday we drove to Banja Luka on Wednesday where we met with director of the Red Cross in Banja Luka and discussed the approval of the purchase of a commercial potato peeler for their soup kitchen.  The old one is over 40 years old and breaks down frequently and disrupts the 450 meals they serve each day. 

  
While we were in Banja Luka we also met with the Rehabilitation Hospital to get additional information which we needed to submit a wheelchair project for them.  We arrived back home in the  afternoon.  This was a short trip (6 hours of driving). 

Friday was International Ladies Day and they do it big here in Bosnia.  There were little stands set up all up and down the sidewalks with flowers and plants for sale.  One of our English students described it as a "Flower Frenzy".  It was somewhat like Mother's Day at home. 

The weather has started to change.  We have experienced temperatures in the 50's and 60's this last week.  We are excited for the warm weather. We have been busy and can feel the Lord guiding us in the work which we are engaged.