Canvasback receives equipment donation from Alcon
Donated goods and services keep the wheels turning for many ASI member organizations, including Canvasback Missions, Inc., which serves the needs of the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia. Recent equipment and supply donations have made a huge difference to the people in these two Pacific island nations.
Earlier this year, Dr. Charles Ahn, an ophtalmologist from the Chicago area, donated his time and expertise on the island of Ebeye. His team was able to perform 192 eye surgeries using the latest technology, thanks to equipment donated by Alcon Laboratories. According to Ahn, most mission trip cataract surgeries are done using manual techniques. Alcon's donation of a compact phacoemulsification machine and accessories allowed Ahn's team to use less invasive, modern ultrasound techniques that are generally not available in third world countries because of their significant cost.
"Isolation, poor education and few financial resources are just some of the major problems facing these islands," according to a Canvasback website report. "But the worst of these crises lies in health care. Few of the people have ever seen a physician or a dentist in thier lives; their tiny, ill-stocked island dispensaries dangle at the end of a tenuous supply line which never reaches far enough."
Other recent donations to Canvasback include a 20-foot container worth $5,000 that was used to ship dental supplies to Ebeye, and $30,000 worth of textbooks from the local school district that will be used to open a school in Namu this year. Canvasback leaders are thankful for the donations and are now praying for new vehicles and exercise equipment to be used in the Diabetes Wellness Center.
Visit the Canvasback Missions. Inc. website.