HELLO -

ALL IS WELL HERE IN KENYA!!!! AMAZING PEOPLE!!! THE DAY HAS BEEN FILLED WITH
MANY THINGS. I WILL LET JEANETTE TELL YOU IN WRITERS POETRY.
WE MISS EVERYONE. LIZ KISS THE PUPPIES FOR ME
LOVE MICHELE

from the airport to the hostel

(Picking up where we last left off...we had just left the Nairobi airport)

The van slowed to a crawl--inching past lamp stores, OiLibya gas stations, and billboards for Coca-Cola.
"There must have been an accident," said Adele (our South African liason).
"No, I think it is just construction traffic in Friday Night Niarobi," our driver Vincent replied.

After a few more inching moments, we could see a construction truck with a heavy trailer hitched behind it parked off to the left-side of the road, facing the wrong direction. (In Kenya, people drive on the opposite site of the road, like they do in London. Unlike London, however, the roads in Kenya are not marked with solid lines, dotted lines, white lines, yellow lines or any other type of line. Game on.) As we pulled around the trailer, we could see a bus--exactly like the one we were in--completely demolished. Half of the van was gone.

A young man in civilian clothing stood on the opposite side of the road--a semi-automatic rifle hung nonchalantly at his side. On the left side of the road, bodies that had been thrown/carried from the wreck were laying bleeding and badly bent in the grass. One man was practically bent in half--the wrong way--back to calves. A woman was lying on the gravel, her legs covered with a blanket. Another young man, maybe fourteen, had a bad, bloody gash on his head. He was still blinking, but that was all the moving he was doing.

As the van passed this horrific sight, the health care professionals inside were startled and were trying to figure out where in the 28 boxes and three vans they had packed their gloves and other medical supplies that these people would need. The supplies were not in the passenger van.

"Should we pull over and help anyway?" they asked aloud.
"No." Adele said forcefully. "Over 40% of the population here has HIV/AIDS. We cannot safely stop and help here." And so we drove away in silence.
(Another note about Nairobi. They don't have enough hospitals and they are understaffed. It is common for patients to share beds--up to three people in a bed at a time alternating--head--toe--head. Even women going into labor are required to share their bed up until the last final few pushes.

Despite the similarities at the airport, the car accident aftermath we witnessed only moments later reminded this group of the magnitude of the problems facing Nairobi. It was a very poignant experience to illustrate that there are many problems that Kenya faces to which these helping hands from Iowa are still helpless to relieve.

That night, the van wound through Nairobi, past the new electric street lamps and lit hotel lobbies, past the flicker of the firelight dancing on the tin-roofed slums, introducing the EyeCare Kenya team to shadows of Nairobi washed in a moonlight glow.

Landing in Nairobi

Tonight we landed in Nairobi. The full moon looked so bright and so close—nearly twice as big as the largest full moon I have ever seen from the Mid-West. Oddly enough, the Kenya airport looked more familiar than the moon. It was just slightly bigger than the Des Moines airport. The planes looked the same, except they had names like Kenya Air instead of Delta or Southwest.

At the baggage claim, we were met by Adele, our liason between the village of Eldoret and Kipcaren. She has a rich South African accent and short curly brown hair. A native South African, she has lived in Kenya for two years, and she immediately began showing us the ropes. For example, the baggage claim carts that must be rented in many American airports, are free here, but there is a trick. In order to get the wheels to rotate, you must push the cart handle (similar to a shopping cart) down. She pointed this out as Michele and I were dragging our stuck-wheeled carts across the tile floor, immediately revealing that we were not native Nairobians.

Out of the 29 bags and boxes that were shipped, 28 arrived. The missing box contains sutures and sterilizing drapes—so we have made it here with practically all of the supplies we unloaded in Cedar Rapids. In the Kenya airport, you cannot leave the airport to load a few things and return to grab more from the baggage claim area, once you’ve left the building, you’re out. So the seven of us, 6 on the Kenya team and Adele, packed all 29 bags on 7 of those small luggage carts and headed toward the man Doc has been having nightmares about since her last Kenya adventure…her nemisis, the Customs man. She actually journaled 12 pages of attack and counterattack strategies before stepping off of the plane tonight.

Just to recap, last year she spent 2.5 hours haggling with the Customs man. He wanted money. She was unwilling to bribe. And there they stood, deadlocked. Their conversation last year went:

“Tell me what these supplies and medicines are worth in your country,” he said. (Visitors bringing materials into Kenya, through customs, are required to pay a fee based on the value of what they are bringing in.)

“Nothing. They have all been donated,” she replied.

“Oh, I don’t believe that. Come on, what are they worth?” And so they went. Round and round. When finally she said, “All of these supplies are here to help your fellow Kenyans. If you do not let them in, you’re people will not get the medicines they need.”

And with that he said, “You should have said the supplies were for doctors’ personal use.” Then he paused. “O.k. You may pass.”

Doc and team stood there for a few seconds—probably from surprise—and so he said, “What are you still doing here? I said you can go. Go.”

This year, with 7 packed carts in tow, she walked directly up to the man in the gray suit.

“What are all these supplies for?” he asked.

Doc bowed her head and said, “Doctors’ personal use.”

“You may pass,” said the Custom’s man. So we ran with our medicines out through the airport doors and into the air of Nairobi.

The air had a metalic twinge, as if the breeze had been sucking on a spoon or a penny. We stood there, many of us smelling Kenya for the first time, as our things were loaded into three vans by Adele’s team. We all piled into one van and took off for the place we would sleep for the night.

Leaving Cedar Rapids

The Kenya-bound EyeCare team is successfully en route and already there are stories to tell. Successfully toting 29 carefully packed bags and boxes of health care supplies, medicine, books and Iowa Women's Basketball Jerseys (Thank you Lisa Bluder), we gave the baggage handlers at the Cedar Rapids Airport a workout early this morning and a dose of travel drama too. British Airways--the carrier transporting this very excited crew from Chicago through London to Nairobi--has changed their baggage weight limits. This was an incredibly valuable piece of information that we learned about 2 hours before our flight. While American Airlines accepts packages up to 100 pounds, the new British Airways baggage weight limits accept no packages heavier than 70 pounds. We were able to shuffle the materials in 29 of the 30 different bags and boxes laying in the middle of the airport ticketing area to accommodate the new requirement. But there was one, there always is, one Goliath, one large piece of equipment that would not, could not, weigh any less than 113 pounds.

This unruly travel companion was the Lens Edger--a lens edger cuts lenses down to fit perfectly within each uniquely sized set of frames. Last year, the EyeCare Kenya team outfitted a new eyecare clinic with donated examination and diagnostic equipment. The stout lens edger was the piece of equipment missing from the Kenya clinic that would allow care-givers there to examine, diagnose, and then provide glasses to the people that needed them. Unable to take on the powers that be of British Airways from our Cedar Rapids post, we had to find an alternative shipping solution. I am happy to report that the lens edger will be arriving fashionably late in Eldoret, just two days behind the crew.

When asked to describe this year's launch, Doc just looked up from her book, with a big smile, and said, "Awesome!"

Signing off until Eldoret.
Team Kenya

Wow!!

Hi Everyone!! We just got through security in Chicago. A very long wait. But very much worth it!! We will arrive in Kenya 8:45PM Friday. This adventure has already started out very different and very fun. Having a computer in tow is very exciting. We are experimenting with what we will be able to do this trip. We are attempting to rally the troops and get a group shot in the Chicago international airport. 29 bags and boxes:) awesome. Sandy this is exciting we will probably be able to be ahead of your entry!! We are still working on downloading pictures!!

Expedition 2007

On September 27, 2007 to October 8, 2007 a selected team will embark on a second mission to Kenya, Africa. Not only will this be an optical mission, but also additional measures are taking place since last year, they are:

1. Grand opening of the Medical Wing we funded to be built in Eldoret that will not only supply our optical and laboratory equipment, but also an area that can be used by other short term medical mission teams throughout the years to come. This will not only give more access to visitors but also more accessibility to treat more patients since currently we have the equipment in a building that serves for everything except sleeping and eating.

2. Additional training and materials will be established for our native Kenyan, Julius and these materials will help him grow in the field of optomolgy.

3. A medical team consisting of Michele Burnes, and Sharon Dieter. They will provide basic medical care to the needed, along with training a native Kenyan to provide the basic medical treatment, such as blood pressure, vaccinations, etc…

4. Additional vision treatment, supplies and training given by Dr. Fitzgerald, Dr. Kingus, and Roy Brandt to the native Kenyans in villages of Eldoret and Kipkaren.

Over 15 Action Packers and equipment will be joining the Team, the following will be used during and supply the wing after the team leaves:

Grinder

Tape

Cases

Readers +2.50, +3.00, +3.75, +4.00

2 Ophthalmic Text Books

126 Ophthalmic Lens Blanks

Ophthalmic Drugs

Tobradex

Systane

Zaditor

Elestat

Alamast

Vigamox

Zymar

Betimol

Alphagan

Lumigan

Pred Forte

Xybrom

Xylatan

25 Dozen Plano Sunglasses

100 Ophthalmic Frames

12 pair each of Shark Eye Rx from -0.50 sph to -5.50 sph

Lensometer

Phoropter Stand

15 First Aid Kits

Salt Pan

2 Pumps

Lens Blanks

Sun glasses

Children Ophthalmic Frames

Phoropter Stand

Edger

Sterile Non-Adherent Pad- 100 per box (9 boxes)

Iodine Swabsticks- 50 sticks (1 box)

Sponges- 14 per box (10 boxes)

Elastic Bandage Roll (Ace Wrap)- 50

Non-sterile Gauze Sponges- 200 per box (10 boxes)

3” Surgical Tape – 4 rolls per box (8 boxes)

Bandaids- 50 per box (10 boxes)

Non-sterile Roll Gauze- 6 per box (5 boxes)

Round Bandaids- 200 per box (1 box)

Comfeel Hydrocolloid Dressing 8”x 8”- 5 per box (4 boxes)

Duoderm Extra Thin Dressing- 10 per box (3 boxes)

Thin Hydrocolloid Dressing- 15 total

Hyanosol Island Wound Dressing- 6 total

Small hydrocolloid Wound Dressing- 40 total

Low Profile Hydrocolloid Dressing- 40 total

Flexigel Hydrogel Pads- 5 large, 15 small

Thin Foam Dressing- 10 total

Thin Non-Adherent Dressing-10 total

Thin Small Non-Adherent Dressing- 10 total

Control Gel Formula Dressing- 20 total

Silvasorb- 3 total

Heel Dressing- 4 total

Surgical Drapes- 25 total

Surgical Towels- 5 per pack (2 packs)

Sterile Gloves- 15 pairs

Sutures- 490 per box

Sterile Saline Flushes- 10 total

Irrigation Trays- 3 total

Flush Bags- 3 total

Epbrine Flushes- 2 total

Bulb Syringes- 2 total

Lidacane Inject- 20 total

IV Starters- 7 total

Bacitracin Ointment- 2 bottles

1% Hydrocortisone Cream- 48 per box (10 boxes)

Protective Ointment- 90 tubes

Cavraklenz- 5 bottles

Construction Paper- 2 total

Crayons- 1000 total

Notebooks- 30 total

Pencils- 24 per box (6 boxes)

Pencil sharpener- 1 total

Scissors- 10 total

Stapler- 1 total

Eraser tops- 80 total

Glue- 9 tubes

Caltrate 600 Plus Chewables- 2 per pack (72 packs)

Children’s Non-aspirin Quickmelts- 500 total

Prevacid/ Naproxen- 15 boxes

Children’s Prevacid- 6 boxes

Adult Prevacid- 13 boxes

Bactrim (Sulfamethoxazole 800 mg & Trimethoprim 160 mg tablets)-500 tabs per bottle (2 bottles)

Amoxicillin- 500 per bottle (2 bottles)

Acetaminophen 325 mg- 1000 tablets

Benadryl 25 mg- 1000 caps

Ibuprophen 200 mg- 500 per bottle (1 bottle)

Amoxicillin chewables 125 mg- 100 tablets/bottle (17 bottles)

Lomotile (Loperamide hydrochloride 2 mg)- 100 caps/bottle (5 bottles)

Prilosec OTC- 30 tablets

Nexium 40mg- 5 caps/bottle (28 bottles)

Symbicort Inhalers- 13 inhalers

Antacand 4 mg- 7 tablets per bottle (37 bottles)

Benicar- 4 tablets per bottle (30 bottles)

Rhinocort Nasal Spray 32 ug- 8 bottles

Synthroid- 24 per box (7 boxes)

Paper towels- 11 boxes

50+ University of Iowa T-shirts and Jerseys from the Athletic Department

2 Laptop Computers

2 Sony Digital Cameras w/additional memory cards

Thank you all for your Support and Donations!