• Domaine :

  Health

• Région :

  South America

• Pays :

  Peru

The project:

In the village of Cañete in Peru, a mission of the IRIS Mundial team composed of 38 Canadian volunteers (ophthalmologists, optometrists, opticians, doctors, assistants, nurses) was sent.
This humanitarian mission enabled more than 2 085 of the poorest people to obtain free eye exams, prescription glasses, sunglasses and / or eye drugs.
A huge thank you to all the generous and dynamic volunteers for their great hearts, their determination and their exceptional dedication!

The request:

From: Catherine Rioux, Executive Director IRIS Mundial 
To: Montreal Rotary Club
Fondation Louise Grenier 
Fondation Coup de Coeur

Subject: Presentation of an ophthalmic care project in Cañete, Peru.

Good day M. Gagnon and Mrs Lahmami Langlois,

My name is Catherine Rioux and I am director of the IRIS Mundial organization which is a multidisciplinary group composed of optometrists, opticians, ophthalmologists and other stakeholders who volunteer for the most disadvantaged populations in collaboration with local partners. Its mission is to improve the visual health of vulnerable people in developing countries by giving them access to quality preventive and curative ophthalmological services. Here are the 3 types of activities carried out by IRIS Mundial:
1- One-off projects;
2- Permanent programs;
3- Training missions.
Since 2001, IRIS Mundial has organized nearly 20 one-off projects, set up 2programs in Haiti and conducted 14 training missions, helping more than 85,000 people.
Description of the next one-off project (ophthalmic campaign)
IRIS Mundial, the Rotary Club of Lima Siglo XXI and the municipality of Imperial, in Cañete, have decided to join their efforts to provide vision care to disadvantaged people in the Cañete region.
From October 21 to 29, a multidisciplinary team of 40 Canadian volunteers (including 3 ophthalmologists and 10 optometrists) will visit the area to offer clinic days, eye exams to more than 2 000 people. All will receive a pair of sunglasses. In addition, those who require it will also benefit from prescription glasses, eye or systemic medications and an examination medical. Some may also benefit from eye surgery. In addition to offer this care, one-off projects have the second objective of knowing the needs in the intervention area by identifying the prevalence of visual impairment and of blindness through the creation of epidemiological mission statistics.
The mission will take place in the Imperial Polyclinic belonging to the municipality.
An employee of the municipality, the head of the social services department, is in charge of ensuring the mobilization and screening of patients, in order to target those who really need it.
In Canada, in addition to acquiring equipment and necessary drugs, the IRIS Mundial team must prepare nearly 6 000 pairs of glasses, in order to have the largest inventory possible on the spot. This type of mission costs in total more than $ 150,000.00. Each volunteer also pays their own stay and will have a charitable tax receipt for the value of their mission expenses. Despite this, IRIS Mundial must spend between $ 25,000.00 and $ 30,000.00 to organize a one-time project.
In summary:
-Number of clinic 5 days 
-Number of Canadian volunteers 40
-Number of beneficiaries: More than 2 000
-Number of patients benefiting from glasses and free drugs  (according to their needs): More than 2 000
-Number of patients benefiting from ocular surgery Between 20 and 40
Total cost of the project: $ 135,800.00
Situation in Peru and Cañete (in one of the provinces of Lima):
In Peru, there is only 1 ophthalmologist for 34 000 inhabitants and 39.3% of the population lives below the poverty line, 13.7% of whom live in extreme poverty. Near 250 000 inhabitants live in the area where the IRIS Mundial project will take place. More than 70% of these people live on less than US $ 8 per day and, according to our partners, 40% of population lives in precarious conditions (without drinking water or electricity). In this situation, it is easy to understand that having access to a visual examination (ranging between $ 9.50and  $ 18.50  US) and the  purchase of a pair of glasses (average $ 46.00 US ) becomes very difficult.
Considering that and according to the World Health Organization (WHO), 80% of the deficiencies visuals around the world can be cured through glasses or surgery, the underprivileged population of the Cañete region should be offered visual care.

In the hope that the Rotary Club of Montreal, the Fondation Louise Grenier  and the Fondation Coup de Coeur  wish to participate and collaborate in the project.

Do not hesitate to contact me for more information.

Thank you for your attention to this request Mr. Gragnon, Mrs. Lahmami Langlois 
Best regards.

Catherine Rioux
Executive Director
IRIS Mundia

https://www.facebook.com/irismundial/posts/10155998119055209


Financial contributions: