Jane Kierath

The following is a personal account from Jane Kierath, Optometrist and Sri Lanka Project Coordinator for the International Centre for Eyecare Education (ICEE) on her recent work in Sri Lanka:

Jane Kierath, Optometrist and Sri Lanka Project Coordinator for ICEE

Sri Lanka… Ceylon… Serendib… the names of this ‘Paradise Isle’ conjure images of the exotic, the romantic and the mythical. In fact, even the wonderful word ‘serendipity’ owes its origins to the fairytale of the fabled and fortunate princes of Serendib.

But Sri Lanka has suffered blows in recent years that have weathered its natural and cultural wonders, and defied its glamorous titles.

Wracked for generations by civil war, subjected to the terrible conditions that mark extreme poverty, then flooded by a wave of fearsome proportions, this once-Paradise Isle has suffered misfortune in the extreme.

When first I visited the tsunami-ravaged coastline of eastern Sri Lanka in March 2005, I was horrified by the wreckage that was left in the wake of such a terrible disaster. The damage was not only physical, but also emotional and spiritual: people who had lost everything and everyone were struggling to make sense of their up-ended world.

Nine months later I returned to Sri Lanka and was amazed to see the metamorphosis that had occurred.

In March 2005 we worked for the needy survivors who otherwise spent their days hunched in the seemingly-infinite rows of staked plastic tents. By December 2005 the camps remained, however the majority of the survivors had relocated to bricked and thatched huts, and work for permanent resettlement was clearly underway.

Our success can only be attributed to the hard work of the volunteers and ongoing support from our partners and generous sponsors

In March our Eye Team worked with local health workers to examine the eyes of the thousands who scrambled to receive their first-ever eye examination. By December, several of these same health workers were working under the Team’s supervision to conduct eye examinations for their own people. Three of these health workers are now trained ICEE Optometry Therapists and are examining the eyes of patients in their communities independently.

Since then I have returned to Sri Lanka every month and continue to be impressed by the motivation and dedication of our volunteers, and inspired by the Sri Lankans who have invested so much effort into learning ICEE’s eyecare procedures and are now providing a sustainable eyecare service to their own people.

More than a year has passed since ICEE’s first intrepid steps into post-tsunami Sri Lanka. It has been a year of tremendous successes but, Serendib or otherwise, these successes have certainly not been the result of simple serendipity. Our successes can only be attributed to the hard work of the volunteers, to the dedication of the local workers, and to the ongoing support of our partners and generous supporters.

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