A chance to see again
Our eyesight is important. As we get older our eyes deteriorate making it hard to focus on objects that are close. Reading becomes difficult crafts such as weaving, sewing, and carving become impossible. Yet the older people are those with the most experience. Thanks to an inexpensive pair of reading glasses many elderly people on the islands we assist are now able to rejoin productive life again.
With the help of Empreza Diak based in Beloi in Atauro island, we organized another delivery. This time to Macadare in the heart of the island. Since our arrival was announced earlier and set together with market day a lot of people showed up to receive their new glasses. Sherry, Matt and Jose from Empreza D\’iak who visit Macadare frequently did a great job with testing people eyesight and fitting glasses for them. Big Thank You!
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- Delivering eyeglasses to the village of Anartuto.
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- That's how it looked fifteen minutes after setting up tables.
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- There are always a lot of people in Macadare on market days. This time many of them came especially for the glasses. Matt tried to count how many people they fit for glasses but gave up after a hundred.
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- Sherry & Matt Ryan do the short-sightedness tests and distribute the glasses. It was market day and over 100 people received new reading glasses.
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- Sherry & Matt are volunteers who live with a family on the island and speak the local language. They have many friends in the community and do a great job supporting them through the activities at Sentru Atauro Di’ak.
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- Meggie from Historic Vessel Vega prepared those simple eye testing sheets. They are very handy and will definitely stay in use for next deliveries.
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- Marciana Suarez is a traditional weaver. She is doing a simple eye test.
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- Marciana Suarez wearing her new glasses.
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- Marciana Suarez at work. Weaving in Atauro is special, instead of thread a indigenous type of grass is used. The cloth produced is unique and traditionally worn as sarong.
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- Many people can have their vision restored with a simple pair of reading glasses, but in remote areas they do not have access to them.
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- Helping older people to see clearly again improves their lives and the lives of the whole community.
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- Restoring their eye sight allows tailors, carvers, weavers etc. to be productive, pass on skills to young people and support their families.
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- Good vision makes life much more enjoyable.
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- Jose Maria da Silva at work.
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- Jose Maria da Silva makes those wooden bowls with female and male heads on the lid. He himself was actually curious how do they look like in detail.
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- Hipolito, as this gentelman introduced himself, crafts mostly walking sticks, which are being used by many people on the island. When he is not busy with that he carves small statues of local spirits and gods.
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