In October, Sara Teijeira and Raquel Nacher, two volunteers from the Cione Ruta de la Luz Foundation, carried out a significant volunteer campaign in Chichaoua, Morocco. This city, located in the province of the same name in the Marrakech-Safi region, was the setting where they managed to prescribe a total of 407 glasses to people in situations of vulnerability.
During their week-long stay, the volunteers conducted nearly 600 visual screenings, focusing especially on women, many of them field workers with low educational levels and housewives with no formal education. In total, 84 men from various socioeconomic backgrounds were attended to, in addition to 43 minors.
The project had the collaboration of Equatorial Coca-Cola Bottling Company, which acted as the local partner, and the support of the Elena Barraquer Foundation, which allowed for a methodical and structured work. The prescribed glasses will be assembled in solidarity workshops in Spain before being delivered to the beneficiaries. During the campaign, another 200 glasses were also distributed, divided between one hundred with standard prescriptions and another hundred sunglasses.
The screenings revealed various refractive problems in the population, including severe myopia and astigmatisms, as well as a notable presence of presbyopia in people as young as 35 to 40 years old, which surprised the volunteers. Environmental conditions such as dryness and suspended dust led to significant ocular disturbances. Although the incidence of cataracts was not higher than in Spain, it was observed to affect younger people in Morocco, especially in the age group of 55 to 60 years.
Sara and Raquel also treated six patients with severe cataracts, who were quickly referred for surgical treatment by the Elena Barraquer Foundation team. Both volunteers highlighted the significance of this experience, which not only provided them with technical knowledge but also allowed them to establish a deep human connection, evidenced by the gestures of gratitude and affection they received.
The impact of the project on the community was significant and, at the same time, left a lasting emotional imprint on the volunteers, who valued the warmth and gratitude of the people they helped, turning each challenge into an invaluable emotional reward.
Source: MiMub in Spanish
