In some countries shampoo samples and energy drinks are given away. Venezuela, however, is giving away eyesight to the blind across Latin America.

In one example, 74 Guatemalans arrived in Venezuela on the 26 June, and will return to their country on the 7 July with an ability to see, that hey didn’t have before.

Under the ‘Mission Miracle’ project, some people awaiting eye surgery are put up in a hotel in central Caracas (others are opperated on on Margarita Island, or in other states) before and after their surgery. International guests, writers, and diplomats stay in the same hotel. You can see the expression on these people’s faces as they wait in the queue for the lift- exhausted from the surgery but looking around with a kind of intense amazement.

The patient Blanca Estela Flores, 47, had a serious illness in one of her eyes, which affected her daily life and character, “it altered my nerves and I treated my children badly.” Then she thanked Venezuela, “who has given us the opportunity to improve our health.”

The Guatemalan, Daniel Marroquin Diaz, added, “They are very good medical specialists, now we see very well. Never before have we had the opportunity to receive specialised attention.”

So far, the Mission Miracle, operating as an agreement between Cuba and Venezuela since 2004, has attended 1800 Guatemalans and over 400,000 people in total. All these people could not afford or did not have access to surgery in their countries. Many are impoverished farmers, housewives, and retired people who have never been on a plain. They receive a free flight to Venezuela to get the also free surgery, as well as accommodation and meals.

The goal of the Venezuelan program is to correct or bring back the eyesight of 6 million patients by 2015.

“I used to recognize people by their voices,” said Sofia Mejia, 72, blind in her left eye before from a cataract. “They gave me my vision back. I never expected this.”