Summary of my trip to El Salvador and Egypt

Deseret International

Deseret International provides the opportunity for others to live a normal and productive life.

Since 1989, the Deseret International Foundation, a volunteer based non-profit 501(c)3, has cultivated partnerships with local doctors in an effort to establish permanent and sustainable healthcare in developing countries.

Deseret International empowers and elevates local medical communities to reach out to people in need. Deseret International’s role is to establish a permanent Deseret program and to assist them with the items they need: supplies, equipment, facilities, and screening and campaign infrastructure; this may also include technical training. As a result, Deseret International’s partners continue in ongoing outreach programs of their own.

EL SALVADOR

Objectives

My Internship with Deseret International straddled two different countries, El Salvador and Egypt, as well as a plethora of objectives.

The objectives in El Salvador included learning the business processes of an organization called Fudem.

Objective #1: I specifically learned Fudem’s business processof building and selling eye glasses.

Objective #2: Writing a business plan based upon the things that I had learned from Fudem for doctors in Egypt.

Activities

I spent one week in El Salvador learning the business operations of Fudem. Each day I was given a new area to study and pick apart. I spent my first day with different managers and doctors in the first phase of Fudem, the examining process.

I spent the second day learning the roles of the doctors at Fudem, those that examine eyes and those that perform cataract, strabismus, and cornea transplant surgeries. I spent a number of hours watching doctors examine individuals but probably the greater portion of the day watching strabismus surgeries. Strabismus is a condition where the muscles of the eyes are so tight that it makes the person go cross-eyed.

The most amazing surgery to me was the cataract surgery. I’ve always heard the term and I thought I understood what it was until I actually saw a cataract removed from a person’s eye.

On the third day I went to out on an outreach program. An outreach program’s purpose is to bring eye care to those who may not be able to travel to Fudem. In the outreach program there is a doctor that examines eyes. After the doctor examines the eyes he or she will write up a prescription for the person. The person in need of glasses takes the prescription to a person who helps them pick out their frames. The prescription will go back to Fudem headquarters where their glasses will be built. After they are built the glasses will be delivered back to the village.

On the Fourth and Fifth day I visited the location at Fudem that builds the glasses. This was the most important step for me, because the doctors in Egypt have yet to move into building eye glasses. In preparation for this I visited a professional who builds glasses in Salt Lake City, Utah. The machinery that is used is hi-tech, but doesn’t require a lot of training, probably after a few days a person being trained can be proficient at building glasses.

I spent the last day with the Executive Directory asking him questions and breaking down Fudem’s business. Is was very productive and the information that I came away with has been helpful in building the business plan for Deseret International to help train some of the doctors in Egypt.

Contacts

Ricardo Granada: Fudem Executive Director

Maria Betancourt: Fudem Optometrist

Santa: Fudem Executive over Public Relations

Achievements:

• Traveling to El Salvador
• Learning how Fudem works
• Building a business plan based off of Fudem’s business model

EGYPT

Objectives

Objective #1: Set-up a communications system

Objective #2: Hire an employee to be a liaison between the doctors and Deseret International.

Objective #3: Begin implementing the building of glasses.

Objective #4: Officially register Deseret International in Egypt.

Objective #5: Finding a location for a surgical center.

Activities

I spent a lot of time bouncing between different doctors, campaigns, and other organizations. The following are some details on where I stand with some of my objectives.

Objective #1: The chosen form of communication is Skype. Skype is an internet phone that does not cost anything. I purchased the needed equipment (headphones) and downloaded the programs on the computers that the doctors and potential Deseret International employee will be using. The downloading process was quite lengthy because there were a few different programs that I had to download and the internet had a very slow connection it took about 5 to 6 hours to officially download everything. We made a test call while I was in Egypt and it looks like we are officially good to go. I will continue to research other sources of communication.

Objective #2: I spent a fairly good portion of my time searching out an employee. The requirements for hire included speaking English fluently, the ability to type in English and Arabic, good communication skills, self-starter ability, and highly motivated. Towards the end of my three week stay I found a man that I and the doctors thought would be good for the job, but on the second to last day of my stay he contacted me and told me that he won’t be able to take the position because he would have to work on his day of worship. So, I now have the challenge of continuing my search. There was great benefit in being in Egypt because I was able to grow my network and I now have a great network to work from to find the needed employee.

Objective #3: The glasses will also be a process. I spent a good amount of my time traveling with the doctors on charitable campaigns. In those charitable campaigns the doctors examine hundred of people. The primary reason for the exam is to search out diseases or conditions where the patient will need surgery. The prescription of glasses is further down on the priority list. When they issue glasses they have some frames that the patients can pick from, but then they ship all of their orders to a factory where the glasses are built. By having a factory do all of their work they lose a substantial portion of the profit they could make. My goal is to begin working with a doctor to set-up a system where the glasses can be built. The system will be rolled out in three phases. The first phase cuts out one piece of the glasses being built. The second phase cuts out another, and the third phase cuts out the factory enabling the doctors to completely build their patients glasses. Over the next year I will continue to work with Dr. Kaled on this project. Dr. Kaled originally was over the glasses and he’s done a great job in marketing them, but he and I will begin working through the phases and helping their charitable campaigns become sustainable and potentially profitable.

Objective #4: Registering Egypt was a challenge, one that I didn’t expect. I came to Egypt with some official papers from Deseret International, I thought that I had everything that I needed but after visiting with the Egyptian government we learned that some of the documents were not notarized nor set with an official seal so they would not accept them. I spent a lot of time dancing between The US embassy, the doctors, and the Egyptian government. Since I wasn’t able to accomplish this objective in Egypt I will be following through by visiting the Egyptian Embassy in Washington DC to officially notarize and seal the papers. I will then pass the papers onto a doctor in Egypt who will begin the registration process. To my surprise I was grandfathered into Deseret’s organization when the doctors asked for me to be included on the board of directors for Deseret’s organization in Egypt. I felt pretty honored considering the wonderful men that will be serving on the board with me. I realize for the Egyptian branch of Deseret International it’s important for them to have some American members for political reasons, but nonetheless I feel honored.

Objective #5: Finding a surgical center was a project that took continual follow-up. The doctors certainly were very busy while I was there, but through consistent follow-up I was able to help move along the progress in finding a building to continue Deseret International’s business of providing low-cost/zero-cost surgeries to the impoverished. The location that is in the top running is in Fayoum about a hundred kilometers outside of the Cairo. Fayoum is one of the poorest cities in Egypt and it has a high population of people (around 2 million). Because of theses two reasons and other reason, Fayoum has been selected as the best place to further Deseret International’s work. Currently the plan is to rent the building and as the months progress further analysis will be made to see if it is worthwhile to purchase the building outright.

Contacts

Dr. Saed Saif: Executive Director for Egypt Deseret and Head over the Opthamology program at University of Cairo.

Dr. Yasser Saif: Egypt Deseret Board Member

Dr. Ahmed Hathoot: Egypt Deseret Board Member

Dr. Kaled Director

Achievements

See Objectives above and Challenges below.

Challenges

There were a number of challenges for me. The first was how little time I had to accomplish some major objectives. It’s challenging to walk into a new culture and new language and to be able to jump from the gun in accomplish the objectives in only three weeks my trip should have been closer to three months instead of three weeks. Another challenge was the doctor’s busy schedules. The two main doctors that I was working with worked until 3am in the morning 3 days out of the week. They were so busy it was difficult to find time to work with them, but they certainly sacrificed their time so that I could accomplish the work (at least the work that I did accomplish while I was there) I needed to accomplish. I will continue to follow-up on the objectives that I have originally set out to do until I am finished with them.

Overall Internship Experience: I found this to be a very important experience for me personally. This internship has helped facilitate learning that I cannot get out of classes, homework, and tests. I have learned about cultures, different religions, political structures, poverty, important business principles, traveling-smarts, and other life-altering lessons. This internship will be an experience that I will continue to learn from for a long, long time.

Egypt, I leave you tomorrow- will you miss me?

I am leaving Egypt tomorrow, I have many mixed feelings...

I will miss the busy streets of Cairo that never seem to never sleep, I'll especially miss the elvated bridge of October 6th, it has given me the view of Cairo that I hope all who visit learn to appreciate. I will not miss the walls that seem to crush the impoverished.

I will miss staying up until 3am with doctors Ahmed and Yasser working, those were enjoyable nights and mornings.

I will miss how quiet my life has become it has given me more time that I've ever had in my life to think, ponder, read, and make decisions. I will not miss how much I struggled through Arabic, I hope to learn it someday and truly communicate my feelings and thoughts more clearly to my Egyptian friends.

I will miss the food here. I have grown a new love for fruit and vegetables, as well as slow-roasted meat. I will not miss the sleepless nights with stomache cramps.

I will miss the way everyone treats visitors and guests. I have never been so unfamiliar with my surroundings and at the same time felt so at home.

I will miss the way people laugh at me when I try to say hi to them in Arabic, it made me laugh as well. I will not miss the moment when a taxi driver stole 200 Egyptian pounds from me, but I'm sure I will laugh about it later.

I will miss the resiliency, work-ethic, and love of the Egyptian people. I hope they will not forget me. I hope they know how much I want to serve them and make their lives better.

I will miss the endless sands here. I will not miss drinking bottled water.

I will miss cold showers in the morning, they were surprisingly refreshing especially after sleeping for only a few hours.

I will not miss all of the red tape here, to which I hope that we can overcome and become Deseret Egypt.

I will miss my driver Esmile, especially the way he would show off to me by singing the ABCs or every once in a while turning to me and saying "Love you Caleb, love Esmile". I hope that he is able to continue to grow and progress, especially after being relieved of his duties after our car was stolen...

I will miss the excitement of a new day in Egypt. I will miss the sugar cane drink, mango jouice, and the Bolti fish. I will miss my work here and I hope that I have made some kind of a difference.

I will not miss the smoking, everybody seems to be hooked on cigars. They always seemed happy when I declined their invitation to smoke. Often they would tell me that they wanted to quit and that tomorrow they would try to.

I came to this country to work and to learn and I am now leaving this country more devoted and a bigger heart and hopefully a better person.

Who was happier, the li'l boy eating chocolate or the bride?

Last night I attended my first Muslim marriage. I was really excited to witness such an occassion within this culture. I have gotten to know the couple to be married via my excursions to outlying villages. They are a very enthousiastic couple and will be wonderful parents as well as citizens together. The first thing that I noticed about Summer, the bride, was her beautiful scarf and wrap, it was sparking pink. The second thing I noticed was how happy she looked, she was so excited! The groom, Ahmed, was equally as happy. I love seeing couples that are as excited as they are (unforunately I have been to a few weddings that didn't seem as happy). All of the family and friends gathered into one large room outside the mosque and we watched as papers were signed (this is the legal marriage and not the actual wedding ceremony). The father, legalsman, husband, wife, and Dr. Saif a noteworthy man all signed the papers stating the union was now official. In celebration they began passing around chocolate and little overweight boy began bouncing up and down on his chair. It was so funny, he pudgingly poked at the chocolates and finally picked a brightly wrapped pink one. I got a kick out of watching him enjoy the chocolate. As I looked from him across the room to the bride I tried to figure out who was happier. Oh and I don't know what the big deal about european chocolate is, it doesn't hold a candle to Egyptian chocolate!

Dr. Saif & Dr. Saif & Dr. Hathoot

Dr. Saif is a man that I deeply, deeply respect. He is the head of the school of Opthamology at Cairo University. He is devout Muslim who is constatnly seeking to do what is right as well as to serve others, especially those who cannot afford eye care. He spends at least 40% (my own guesstimate) of his time checking the eyes for those who cannot afford it. He often will see a patient and learn that they cannot afford the medicine, eye glasses, or surgery that he prescribes. Instead of telling them good-luck with a pat on the shoulder, he absorbs the cost himself so that all that come to him can have proper eye care.

For over 40 years he has traveled to the poor areas of Egypt and with other doctors he exams hundred of people per visit, pays for their surgeries, and at times glasses. All of these visits are on his or his son's dime (not to mention time, which is the most valuable commodity).

Currently there is a rampant endemic of trachoma in Egypt. Years ago Dr. Saif engineered a solution that helps eliminate this disease from the person who uses the eye drops. Trachoma in many places has now been erradicated. Dr. Saif is well known in Egypt. He is respected and revered amonst many, many people, including myself. His son is now a wit behind him.

Yassir Saif graduated from Cairo University in Opthamology and is now an Associate Professor there. He spends a great deal of his time replicating what his father has done and expanding it into other parts of Egypt. I've watched hime examine hundreds of people at a time and he has a very calm, even ability to deal with the tempers, bad attitudes, and chaos that sometimes ensues in these charitable outreaches. I will never forget watching patients hug him and kiss him and the doctors that perform these charitable outreaches.

Dr. Ahmed Hathoot is another doctor that I have spent considerable time with. He has a wonderful love for life. He is constantly smiling and laughing with his employees, partners, and patients. Last week he invited me to dinner and it was a delight to be with his family. Dr. Hathoot knows when to joke around, but he also knows when to roll up his sleeves and go to work. This morning when I opened up my email I had a long email from him, I looked at the time and it was sent at 3 am! He had stayed up until 3 am to finish surgeries of patients who needed them! Dr. Hathoot often will sacrifice many sleepless nights to care for those who need surgery or certain eye care.

I have come to love these three doctors and will be very sad when I have to say goodbye to them, but I am grateful that I know them and that I can call them my friends. I look forward to the time when I can come back to Egypt to visit and serve alongside them again. I also look forward to the time when they come and see me in Utah.

Thank you President Monson for giving me peace of mind

When one truly seeks answers from sources of truth they seem to always come, in my case I recently posted about the walls that encapsulate the impoverished. After my posting I continued to ponder about the reasons why an entity would hide poverty. As I did my mind was called back to my morning study from the day before. I read President Thomas S. Monson's talk during Priesthood of the last conference and then went back and re-read it. I finally have found peace of mind trhough the words of a latter-day prophet.

President Monson: "As bearers of the priesthood, we hav ebeen placed on earth in troubled times. We live in a complex world with currents of conflict everywhere to be found. Political machinations ruin the stability of nations, despots grasp for power, and segments of society seem forever downtrodden, deprived of opportunity and left with a feeling of failure. We who have been ordained to the priesthood of God can make a difference: When we qualify for the help of the Lord we can build boys, we can mend men, we can accomplish miracles in His holy service. Our opportunities are without limit."

As I read that statement a peace settled upon my mind. Initially I was grateful that one, such as the prophet of the Lord, understood the world as I have been seeing it; and as I dwelt on his thoughts a flood of great thankfulness came when I realized that he is a seer and revelator and that he understands the Lords hand in preparing this Earth for the second coming much more than I do. I am grateful to hold the priesthood, I feel blessed to be known amongst the ranks of honorable men and boys who work their hardest to honor their priesthood. I know that the work I am doing now will bless the lives of thousands if not millions of people, specifically to recieve their sight again, but there is no duty more important than honoring the priesthood that has been bestowed upon me.

Why? I just don't understand the walls.

I believe that walls can destroy progression. Progression in personal lifes, relationships, and even with ones spirituality. For the past few days I have an image that I cannot get out of my mind, the walls that surround many of the impoverished communities in Cairo.

Egypts main export is tourism, which makes sense since one of the seven wonders of the world does reside in Cairo. To protect that income source the government has established some systems to make the experience to the pyramids a fulfilling one. I've noticed that they take very good care of the streets, sidewalks, and partitions that are traveled by those seeking the pyramids. One can often see the streets littered with government workers that are cleaning the streets or watering the grass and plants that surround the streets to the pyramids, but there's one thing that has been bothering me and that's the walls that surround the communities that are impoverished. I'm not sure if it's the government or some other entity or group, but I find it irritating... why? Why should these communities/people be hid from the peoples of the world?

This is something that I do not understand and want learn the purpose of these walls (if there is anyone out there that knows the answer to this I would be extremely grateful for an answer). At this point I despise them. I came to Egypt not as a tourist but as one who wants to break down the walls (figuratively speaking, but now, physically as well) that hold back the poor. At certain points in my drives to different destinations there are breaks in the walls where I am able to see what I often see in the outlying villages everyday- rubble, garbage, flys, and disease to name only a few. Do the builders of these walls understand that their construction is that of a graveyard? A place to live is one without walls, without barriers, and without someone else telling you how to live. The walls that surround these communities are not a place to live, but a place to die. At this point I see tombstones and not homes (this is not to be taken out of context, but only from a govenment standpoint--the homes of the poor are wonderful symbols (for the most part) of places where they are trying to do their best). My wish is that whoever is responsible for these walls would build steps in place of the walls as a symbol of life and opportunity. Poverty is a terrible condition, but masking that poverty is worse. I wish that they would not build those walls, but then again maybe I don't understand, maybe there's good reason for them, at least that's what I keep telling myself.

Accounting #1

Well, I have now been here for over a week, and I feel like I need to account for my time:

Since I've been here (including the plane ride here).

• I have burned through three books (two of them break into my top 50 books) and the third was an important read, but def. not a favorite. I plan on reading my final book slowly (it's the only book I brought that is more pleasure than business
• I have been asked if I wanted to smoke about 15 times, to drink tea 25 times, and to be married twice... they mostly wanted to marry just so that they could come to America :)
• I have been extremely sick once
• I have been mildly sick twice
• I have been on two visual campaign both based in towns outside of the metropolis of Cairo, the third will be late next week where we will be going out to the dessert to an oasis town, should be interesting.
• I have been hit by a car probably about 10 times.
• I have ridden a camel around the pyramids
• Swam in the Suez Canal
• Wandered the Cairo museum
• Collected about 12 business cards from local and government authoritites, doctors, and business men.
• Made countless friends (and some pending Facebook friends :)

Anyways, it's a short list of some of the many experiences that I have had. I haven't really hi-lighted some of the people that I work closely with, I plan on doing that over the next few days. I hope all is well with my family and friends.