BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – How many Lenscrafter, Sunglass Hut, or Pearl Vision locations have you driven past during your lifetime? Now pretend none of these places exist, what would you do if you needed a pair of eyeglasses? For many of us such a scenario is hard to imagine.
However, Erick Henderson, a senior biology and pre-optometry major at Illinois Wesleyan University, has not only imagined such a place but traveled to one. This past summer, Henderson traded in baseball games and family cookouts for – one could say – an eye-opening experience. In June 2011, he traveled to Lamu, Kenya, where he served as the optometric technician at the Lamu Center for Preventative Health (LCPH).
Founded by IWU alum Munib Abdulrehman ’02 and Rebecca Gearhart, associate professor of anthropology, LCPH is a non-governmental organization, which provides healing services and preventative health education to residents of Lamu and the surrounding islands. Although located abroad, LCPH is also represented on Illinois Wesleyan’s campus through a student-run organization by the same name. While LCPH offers many educational programs, an eye care-related program had not been developed – this is where Henderson and Gearhart would find a common goal.
According to Gearhart, LCPH was established to stand apart from other health organizations by focusing on educating the local community versus simply treating illnesses. LCPH initiatives have included: nutrition programs geared towards young children, CPR classes, and diabetes prevention and awareness. “Our goal is to disseminate information so that Lamu residents can rely on their gained knowledge to take care of themselves and their families,” said Gearhart. “We are constantly working with volunteers, the Red Cross, and sailing doctors to provide this community with tools to live healthy lives. The goal of LCPH is not to cure, but to heal.”