Thursday, March 10, 2011

Team update


Eye brigades continue this week, the group doing some very good work and being very thorough, seeing the mundane and just people struggling not being able to read, to disease and long term issues.

Yesterday was Aguacatal...some very interesting cases, including this woman who was recently released from the hospital after thieves broke into her humble home and proceeded to not only take what they could, but beat her up in the process.
We also always ask if people can read when we start their eye exam, mostly for the elderly especially in the rural areas, who often did not have access to any schooling when they were growing up. Unfortunately yesterday we found a 13 year old who could not read...which sparked a discussion with the grandfather who brought him, and then with the director of the school there who was helping us.
We talked about how there are legal punisments, but that they would likely not be inforced there. In addition...she said that many kids in the area do not go past third grade, estimating that 25-50% of children there never graduate from the 6th grade. Add that to the other plethora of problems that surround education here in Honduras.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

That breaks my heart. Officially everyone is in school. The sad reality breaks my heart. Without literacy we cannot progress in Honduras. By the way, received another large box of books with this group. We are going to combat illiteracy one book, one kid at a time.