Dr. Marina Roma-March of the Third World Eye Care Society will join the discussion after the screening of the film Waste=Food to speak about the eyeglasses recycle program at the Greennx Film Festival on October 13, 2007.

Dr. Marina Roma-March is a Filipino-Canadian who arrived in Canada in 1973, at the age of 6, the oldest of seven siblings.  She grew up on the eastside of Vancouver attending Queen Alexandra Elementary followed by St. Patrick’s High School in Vancouver.  She received her undergraduate degree in biology from the University of British Columbia in 1988 before moving onto a doctorate in optometry from Pacific University in Oregon in 1994.  Shortly thereafter she setup a solo practice in her adoptive home of Vancouver where she continues to practice today.

Dr. Roma-March's charitable work began in 1991 while a student at Pac. University and continued after graduation while practicing in Canada.  As a student, she made time in her demanding academic schedule to participate with other students in eye clinics in north-western Mexico over American Thanksgiving break.  She traveled again to hurricane torn parts of Mexico over Christmas break.  Roma-March decided she wanted to continue her humanitarian efforts, but discovered no local organization existed in British Columbia.  Early in 1994, Marina began laying the groundwork for a charitable organization that is known today as the Third World Eye Care Society (TWECS).

Marina has received many accolades. She was a recipient of Flare Magazine’s “Volunteer of the Year” award in 1999 presented by Lieutenant-Governor Hilary Weston of the Province of Ontario, as well. In 2000, she was honoured by her peers with the “Optometrist of the Year” for British Columbia. In addition, the Philippine President Joseph Estrada presented her with the Philippine Presidential Award for Humanitarian Service. 

THIRD WORLD EYE CARE SOCIETY

Third World Eye Care Society (TWECS) is a registered, 100 percent volunteer, non- profit Canadian charity. The organization consists of medical doctors, optometrists, opticians and other individuals who volunteer for two to three weeks a year on eye projects to developing countries to provide free eye care and eyeglasses to thousands of poor and underprivileged people.  Each eye project takes 10,000 pairs of donated eyeglasses, medications, instruments and hospital supplies to a needy community, along with a team of Canadian eye doctors who provide free eye care and free eyeglasses to thousands of poor and underprivileged while assuming the loss of pay while away from their practices.  On each project, 2000-3500 people obtain free eye examinations on a first come first served basis.  Common eye diseases are treated and in many cases surgical help is provided to those with devastating vision problems like cataracts.  Each needy person is dispensed a pair of donated eyeglasses which best suit their vision needs.  Often, these people have never had eyeglasses in their lives.

TWECS EYE TEAMS HAVE TRAVELLED TO THE Philippines, Guatemala, Grenada, India, Kenya, Tanzania, Cambodia, Bolivia, Peru, Nicaragua, Mexico and and Malawi, Africa.  Since 1995, the TWECS team has examined more than 22,000 people, performed over 360 cataract surgeries and has given out more than 18, 000 pairs of eyeglasses to the poor in the Third World. 

TWECS has three main objectives:

*To establish a collection of eyeglasses donated by the public through a collection network of medical and optometric professions

*To correct a lifetime of poor vision for underprivileged people in the Third World

*To help combat illiteracy in developing countries