ITV Tyne Series: Part 5

Enjoy the last clip of the five part series filmed by ITV last year when the ship was docked in Benin.

Yovo African

I worked with the eye team again today. I kind of love it. Today Cyrille, one of the day volunteers on the eye team and I had a conversation that made me smile. It went like this:

"Estelle, please where are you from?"

"South Africa"

"No, please where are you from?"

"South Africa."

"Really? But you are a *yovo."

"Yes, I am."

"South Africa and ...?"

"Just South Africa."

"Oh! I did not know that there were yovo's in South Africa! You are a yovo African! Congratulations!"

Apparently this is quite an achievement. Or at least a novelity here in Togo. :)

*Yovo is the term locals here use to refer to a white person.

ITV Tyne Series: Part 4

I posted a link to this episode in a previous post entitled Don't Worry. Be happy. If you did not have a look at the video then you can check it out here. This episode features the dental clinic in Benin, amongst other things. Click here to view part 4.

ITV Tyne Series: Part 3

This episode features another family from England and Dr Tony Giles, a surgeon who regulary serves with Mercy Ships. Click here to view part 3.

ITV Tyne Series: Part 2

Check out part 2 of the ITV series. This episode features a family from England who have served with Mercy Ships for many years now.

ITV Tyne Series: Part 1

Take a look at part 1 of a five part series filmed by ITV in Benin last year.

Eye team

So I got myself a minor job for the summer. I will be working with the eye team on Mondays and Wednesdays for the next few weeks. Today was my first day on the job.

We start the morning at 6:45 am when we head to the hospitality centre. During the morning the patients are seen by the opthalmic and eye tech specialists. If we are able to help them they are given a date for surgery. After lunch the patients who are seen do not necessarily need surgery; many of these patients need glasses to improve their vision. They are given an eye exam and then the appropriate glasses.

Here are some pictures of the eye team taken by our Communications Department earlier this year.

Hundreds of people stand in line on the eye screening day in February

At the hospitality centre where patients are given a date for surgery

Waiting in the hospital on the day of surgery

In the operating room

A successful operation!

To see what a day at the eye clinic looked like in Benin click here.