VOSH SANTA CRUZ was an absolute amazing experience! Being able to help so many people in the Guayquil and Cuenca communities in Ecuador was inspirational, and rewarding. Some patients came into the clinic simply wanting to be able to read their books again and it was incredible to see their faces light up when our team helped them with their visual problems. There was no shortage of great chemistry between all team members from Waterloo, Montreal, Texas, and Calgary!

The clinics treated us very well with provided meals (their specialty was cassava cheese bread), and we got fully immersed in the culture of the Ecuadorians at the Corpus Christi festival! It was remarkable to see a different culture and way of life, and a little bit of danger from the fireworks was all in good fun!

I would certainly recommend this trip to all optometry students as its an experience of a lifetime with your classmates and new found friends. Overall you get to showcase your clinical skills, see diseases first hand, and learn!

Stuart Bennett,
University of Waterloo optometry student