A special post by Nancy Mortifee, Board Chair, Seva Canada What an outstanding adventure we are on. I can tell you, the trip so far is exceeding everyone's expectations. Our time at the Kilimanjaro Centre for Community Ophthalmology (KCCO) in Moshi was very rich and very moving. The first day began with a tour of the hospital and clinic, with articulate and professional descriptions of each program by Fortunate, Elizabeth and Leana. The donors were particularly impressed by the "sentinel" program partnering with women's micro-lending groups. Elizabeth's report on the success of the pediatric outreach was very moving and it gave me a chance to share once again the genesis of Tom and I to design this donor trip on behalf of the board. From there we broke into groups of 5 and sat in on Anthony Hall as he performed a retina reattachment on a man under local anethestic. We were amazing how Anthony could carry on a conversation, describing what he was doing and comparing this to other cases, while engaged in, what looked to us, as a rather precarious procedure. We then had lunch followed by an excellent meeting with Paul. Paul was great, as always and everyone asked lots of questions. He spoke so appreciatively of the relationship between KCCO and Seva Canada... I felt so proud of our wonderful staff and Penny's leadership and people were eager to learn more, which set the stage marvelously for me to share the origins of Seva and our work, as best as I could. Before we left, we visited the pediatric clinic and visited with the children and their parents...  a perfect opportunity for me to share the bubble blowers we brought. That night we had a traditional Tanzanian dinner at Bristol Cottage and agreed on an early start the next day. There was a lot of excitement in the air because Fortunate had arranged for us to view pediatric cataract surgery the next morning. At 8:30am, we were garbed and ready for to watch a 7-month baby girl have surgery... and what an experience. While one group was in the OR the others of us waited outside or "on deck" alongside the baby's anxious mother. We have two doctors in our group, including Peter, and both very blown away by how relaxed the surgeon (Dr. Lee), anesthesiologist and assorted other support nurses were to have so many people in the room watching. As moving as it was to see the surgery performed on a small child, it was also an opportunity to explain to the donors that because of the delay of 6 months or so, this child would never regain full sight, again reinforcing the importance of early screening and education through informants. From KCCO we went to St. Francis School for the Blind, where we were regaled with songs, demonstrations of loving care and tales of academic success, clearly prepared for perspective donors. What really impressed me more was how the less impaired or sighted children guided the blind, so naturally and compassionately. After their Welcome Song, we sang a couple of songs of our own, including a spirited rendition of  "I'm a Little Teapot" by Allen Connelly, complete with actions. Charlie and Ken presented the children with a new soccer ball they brought, which was also fun.  (This in fact, this has happened a few times along the trip, as we stopped to visit orphanages in both Moshi and en route to the game parks). I really got a sense of the challenge facing KCCO, as they try to encourage parents to take their children with restored sight, out of the School for the Blind and into their local schools. The facilities are clearly superior, the achievement higher and many parents (mothers) would have several other children at home. Having one at boarding school could be very appealing. It will take some time and pressure on the system itself, as Paul, Fortunate and Elizabeth shared with us. From the school we went to the outreach clinic...  a drive of about 2 hours into the hills. We arrived in time to see a crush of humanity lined up for screening. At that point seven people qualified for cataract surgery and were leaving for Moshi to have their procedure the next day. The efficiency of the system was so impressive and the sheer numbers of people needing attention, humbling. By then the group was exhausted, so a relaxed evening at Paul's for dinner was a perfect finish to the day. Since our time at KCCO, we have been in the game parks: Lake Manyara,  Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater. Our Gap guides/drivers are excellent and we have seen more animals in these seven days than I have ever experienced on any other safari. The huge bonus and surprise was finding ourselves in the middle of the great migration... thousands and thousands of wildebeest and zebra thundering past us. Unbelievable! And there is more to come..