Mobile Caravana to Macas

This weekend, FIBUSPAM travelled to Macas, Ecuador, the capital of the Morona Santiago province located on the edge of the Amazon Rainforest. It has a large indigenous population and is the principle territory of the Shuar and Macabea cultures. Many people live in extreme poverty and have little access to health care. FIBUSPAM provided health care services to hundreds of families free of charge.

The caravana was an enormous success – in total, we saw 71 dental patients, provided 314 eye exams, and donated 194 pairs of glasses to the people of Macas. We also identified 80 individuals who were eligible for surgery due to advanced cataracts and terigia Some of these patients have already been operated on at our Riobamba clinic.

Demand for healthcare was high; as you can see below people were lined up at the gate in hopes of receiving the medical care that they rarely have access to. The team of visiting American doctors and opticians from Vision Health International worked vigorously with their FIBUSPAM counterparts to accomplish such impressive results.

Some of the Shuar indigenous people, including the chief’s wife pictured below receiving a dental exam, journeyed over 6 hours by foot and canoe to receive FIBUSPAM’s services.

The Noguera family, pictured below, all received eye exams. The baby had her eyes examined for the very first time, and mom and dad both reveived their first pairs of eyeglasses!

FIBUSPAM received a warm welcome from the people of Macas. The head of government in the Santiago province, Marcelino Chumpi Jimpikit, gave a moving speech about correcting injustice and the importance of preserving our enviornment and is pictured here with FIBUSPAM president Paul Martel and Executive Director David Guacho. We were also treated to a taste of the indigenous culture with a traditional Shuar dance.

 

We thank the VHI and FIBUSPAM volunteers who made the caravan such a great success!