YVONNE RETURNS FROM INSIGHTFUL AFRICA TRIP

Craig Nisbet • Published 16 Feb 2010 09:32

Saltcoats optometrist Yvonne Gilmour has successfully returned from her sight-giving charity trip to Burkina Faso, providing glasses to hundreds of people in the impoverished African country.

The young optometrist, an employee of Specsavers in Saltcoats, travelled to the city of Fada N'Gourma, in eastern Burkina Faso in November. The two-week trip, run by Vision Aid Overseas (VAO), was to enable Yvonne and six other optometrists to perform eye tests, distribute glasses and train local nurses to carry out future sight checks.

Although shocked by the initial culture shock and poverty, Yvonne set to work to help as many people as she could. Each day, more than 350 patients were able to have their sight checked and receive glasses or medication where required.

FOR THE FULL STORY SEE THIS WEEK'S HERALD

Tweet

Follow @ardrossanherald

Return to the main index, get more from this section or browse our News archives.