Duh!!

The first six months of our mission were almost entirely spent working with an project called "diabetic retinopathy."  The project was to improve awareness of diabetes and loss of vision as a result of diabetes.  LDS Charities wants to help Jordanians with loss of vision and has donated a lot of expensive eye testing equipment to the Ministry of Health.  The eye testing equipment was to be used in local campaigns where people were tested (for free) for diabetes, had their eyes checked and counseled about healthy lifestyles and solutions to any eye problems that may have been detected.

We arrived in Jordan when most of the groundwork had already been done for six major testing campaigns all over the country.  The specialists involved had worked out a complicated procedure that involved a lot of work from the missionaries along with a few national leaders from Jordan who were not very committed.  The missionary couples basically ran the show.  Before and during the first two campaigns held earlier this year we tested a lot of people, but there was no "buy in" from the local leaders and very little follow-up.  As a result, there were a lot of problems and we don't know what was accomplished.

The diabetic retinopathy project now belongs entirely to us.  We are the project leaders and the specialists in Salt Lake want us to continue.  We are trying to do our best, but aren't sure where we're going and how to know when we get there.  We would like the local health districts to be more involved and for LDS Charities to help and assist them in whatever they want to do but not take charge.  We have prayed mightily for direction.

As we were pondering about how to use the medical equipment sitting unused behind locked doors since the campaigns we got the idea to go to the Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) and talk to the dean of the nursing school.  Maybe JUST would have a use for the equipment in their community outreach program which is part of their curriculum.   In that meeting we learned that JUST has "free medical days" in clinics around northern Jordan several times a year.  About 5-600 people line up early in the morning for the services.  The dean of the nursing college was very happy about having the use of a slit lamp (eye testing device) to add to their already-existing program.

Coming away from the meeting we looked at each other, smiled and said, "this is too easy."  There's already a program for testing in place, run by local leaders, involves volunteers and is sustainable--all requirements for a successful LDSC project.  All we do is make a donation, stand back and let them run it.  Why didn't we do this before?  Duhhh!!