Exit
GREATEST PERSON
OF THE WEEK
HUFFINGTON
08.05.12
but just like [in the U.S.], they’re
very expensive.”
VISION HEALTH’S VOLUNTEERS
The organization is funded entirely through donations and it’s
operated by health care professionals and other volunteers who
give their time for several traveling programs throughout the year.
Though Vision Health hasn’t ever
struggled to find doctors and optometrists who have been willing
to help, they’ve had some trouble
rounding up enough nurses to
help out in the operating room.
“It’s hard because they have
to use their vacation time and
pay their own way to come down
with us,” Martin says. “The two
things we need most are money
and nurses. We already have
thousands of dollars in meds and
glasses to account for and we pay
our own way, so we don’t have
much of a budget left over.”
For the most part, though, the
company’s recruitment troubles
don’t appear to be crippling. Martin mentions that there is a waiting list of doctors who want to
travel with the company and, all
told, around 25,000 different volunteers have worked with Vision
Health since the company started.
It’s an impressive number, considering the time and energy expected
of doctors and other volunteers.
“Very few people come down
for just one trip and stop working
for us,” he says. “These doctors
are usually a bit older and they
work from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. for
seven straight days.”
The organization has wound its
way all through South American,
from Ecuador and Peru to Guate-
“When you take
the patch off, some of
them spontaneously start
dancing because they
haven’t seen in 10 or 15 years…
They’re just so happy.”
mala during its Civil War. Everyone pays their own way for the
trip and use vacation days to get
off work. The volunteers stay in
schools, hospitals, homes of the
locals or anywhere else they can.
“They just work like you
wouldn’t believe, and still, you
wake up and everyone’s in a great
mood every day,” he adds.
“THEY REMEMBER YOUR NAME”
Martin says that the patients’ ap-