1000 steps need 1 step first to start...: November 2012

“Mbak, Do you want to meet May Ho, she is Program manager of eye care education project in Vietnam, works for Brien Holden Vision Institute Foundation?” asked Courtney Saville, my supervisor in my work placement.

“Yap, I’m interested to meet with her” I said. Courtney Saville, who supervise and facilitate me to make agenda in getting work experience in Vision 2020 (Australia and International Agency for the prevention of Blindness), had ever gone to Indonesia and been able to speak

Indonesia

well. Sometimes, She call me ‘Mbak’ because when she

were in

Indonesia

, she often used it to call Indonesian woman.

“Ok, I’ll tell her that you want to meet her. She is so kind, smart and easy going. You can ask many things about her program and others that you want to know”. Then, she told me to meet May Ho on Tuesday, 30^th october 2012, at 10.30 am at her office.

It became my first work experience to meet someone important in an international organization alone without accompanied by my supervisor. But, that’s ok, it gave me a change to build confident and communication by my self.

I get work placement in vision 2020 Australia and International Agency for prevention of Blindness in 174 Queen Street, Melbourne, Victoria while I’m in the proram of AIYEP 2012-2013 (Australia-Indonesia Youth Exchange Program). This Organization represents over 50 member organization’s involved in local and global eye care, health promotion, low vision support and eye research, collaborating each other to achieve the goal of blindness prevention. One of their partnership is BHVI (Brien Holden Vision Initiative). And that is the organization where May Ho works for.

I went from my office to May Ho place by taxi, Actually it’s not too far. The taxi driver, a Punjabi man, was so kind. I told him that i want to go back by walking but I don’t know yet the street way. So, He show the nearest way to go back to vision 2020 office before I got out of the taxi.

I came earlier 15 minute. When I met her, my first image of her was like what Courtney said –kind, friendly, easy going-.

“welcome to my office, sorry it’s a little bit messy” she directly show her office room and bring me a chair to sit on. I saw many books, computer and other things put on the tables in the room about 3*4 metres. How a small for a busy woman like her. Just few seconds then we start our discussion seem like we’ve made friends before.

She told me about BHVI is international organization that work in vision correction

and creator of vision care research, developing global eye care and education in optometry, and commercialization of advances vision product. BHVI inisiates a foundation that deliver eye care service to regions where it is urgently required in parnertship with local government and non-government agencies. In order to create sustainanble, accessible, affordable vision care system.

May Ho have position in public health team in managing education and training course project in Vietnam. She shared her story about eye health condition in Vietnam before they run the project in 2005. There are many vietnemese who get eye and vision impair but there just have a few spectacle shop and unprofessional optometries. Many of those people don’t get any or proper treatment for their eyes. These condition can influence their quality of life such as they have refractive error then getting difficult in vision. Finally, it makes them difficult to work. And it has effect on their social economy life.

In this project, the foundation provides refractive error services development, capacity buiding, establishes vision centres and sets up the management system of vision centres as sustainable facilities in

Vietnam

I’m amazed about what she had contributed for the communities. Even though, she stays in Melbourne but she work for people who need help and far away from. And, I’m inspired of her career in working globally. I asked her some question about how could you work in the global range and involved to the international organization like BHVI foundation.

“hmm, it not a short journey, I’d got bachelor of optometry as international sudent in one of university in Australia. I love working for community and I’d ever work as volunteer in public eye and vision care in Melbourne. I thought it quite difficult for me to work with kinds of different cases of disease. then I thought to work simplier and to able giving wider benefit. i tried getting involved into international organization”. She told me.

She also gave me some advices that if i want to work globally, public health is one provision that could facilitate me work for community in local or global area.

“If you are a doctor, you can try working in local Non Government Organization (NGO) in Aceh, or getting master in public health, that could give you chance to work further in an international NGO” May suggestes me.

I had only 1 hour to meet her, but we had discussed many thing. Those are only some storie that I can share. Even, I don’t have a real job in vision 2020, but having this kind of meeting seem like I’m in the real work atmosphere in Australia. Thanks AIYEP and Vision 2020 Australia.

If you are interested about the youth exchange program and the organization,

Please, have a look at the website below:

- Youth Exchange program Information in Aceh

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=136479853148257&set=o.240806752674059&type=3

- AIYEP information from Australian website

http://www.dfat.gov.au/aii/scholarship_program/youth_exchange_program.html, and

http://aiyep.tcn.com.au/Performances.htm

- Vision 2020 Australia website

http://www.vision2020australia.org.au/

Cut Risya Firlana

Participant of AIYEP 2012-2013

Student of Medical faculty, University of Syiah Kuala, Aceh, Indonesia.