Friends at Visualiza, Carlos and Lourdes, with Joene and Scott Pike
Greetings from Guatemala! The mission of Enfoque Ixcán is to provide access to affordable eye care to the people of Ixcán, Guatemala.
Your donations help fund eye surgeries, eye glasses and eye health education to kind, hardworking people who would otherwise not be able to afford this basic care which we all depend on and cherish.
There’s more happening behind the scenes. For the first week of this trip my wife, Joene, and I have been meeting with some of our Guatemalan partners to make sure everything runs smoothly on the ground here in Guatemala.
We spent over 2 hours with our friends at Visualiza. They perform the eye surgeries your donations pay for. They also help train our eye health promoter, Felipe, how to provide competent follow-up care to the post-surgical patients when they return to their homes in Ixcán.
This coming summer I plan to spend a couple of weeks in Guatemala promoting Enfoque ixcán and engaging potential donors to partner with you, our US donors, for the construction of our clinic. Visualiza has offered valuable advice on how to approach Guatemalan donors.
Scott Pike working out a contract with friend and optometrist Rolando
We also have met with Rolando Cabrera, a Guatemalan optometrist we have known for several years. Our plan is for him to make a couple of trips to Ixcán this year to add a new dimension of professional care to the work of our eye health promoters. This is made possible through our Global Grant from Rotary International.
Speaking of Rotary, our many Rotary friends here are also giving us support with our plans for this year, both with Enfoque Ixcán promotion and with the use of our grant money.
Scott Pike visiting with the Coban Rotary Club
As a team we are bringing affordable, quality eye care to Ixcán, Guatemala. Next week we will be in Ixcán visiting with the many patients you have helped with your donations, and meeting more who will need your help in the future.
–Scott Pike