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SRW Accomplishments
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| Sharing Resources Worldwide completed its first medical mission to Africa when a five-member team — two veteran SRW mission ophthalmologists and three support staff — traveled to Tougue, Guinea, from June 21 to July 5, 2006, to provide eye exams and distribute eyeglasses. Despite limited local infrastructure, including no phones and electricity only where generators were available, the mission was highly successful thanks to support from many partners: family and friends of Hadja Kesso Dowling, a Tougue native now living in Madison, and Adam Dowling, a former Peace Corps volunteer in Guinea; Sight Savers International; the Peace Corps; Helen Keller International; the Lions Foundation of Wisconsin, which provided eyeglasses; and local church groups, Lions Clubs, civic groups, and individuals who contributed financial support. During the two-week mission, SRW provided approximately $134,000 in goods and services. The team conducted 585 eye exams, distributed eyeglasses to 420 people, and referred 90 patients to Sight Savers in Guinea for cataract removal. Physicians also removed a painful foreign body from a child's eye, likely preventing permanent damage, and diagnosed several patients with glaucoma, referring them to facilities that could treat the condition and help restore their vision. SRW also donated medications and suture material to Tougue's host hospital, supplies expected to save lives in the months ahead. While the value of donated goods and services is gratifying, the true impact of restored vision is difficult to measure. The ability to work with one's hands, see loved ones' smiles, or watch the sun set cannot be captured in dollars. The gratitude expressed by the people of Tougue reflected the mission's priceless impact. The team left knowing they had provided a meaningful service, but the mission also created a deeper connection. As residents observed, SRW did more than send donations from afar: the team came in person, brought equipment at its own expense, and worked alongside the community to help people care for their own. |
 The lines were long each day of the clinics held in Tougue, Guinea.  Aissatou has her eyes examined.  Dr. Bechtel exams patient during eyeglass mission.  Never before had a mission group come to serve the people of Tougue. |
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