In October this year, two Queensland-based Uniting Church ministers, Wendy Campbell and Dona Spence, went to Kenya with representatives of international Christian development organisation CBM Australia to witness first hand how the organisation is working to help break the cycle of poverty and disability in the lives of the poor. Here are some images taken by CBM during the trip together with excerpts from a diary kept by Wendy…
In October this year-two Queensland-based Uniting Church ministers – Wendy Campbell and Dona Spence – went to Kenya with representatives of international Christian development organisation CBM Australia to witness first hand how the organisation is working to help break the cycle of poverty and disability in the lives of the poor. Here are some images taken by CBM during the trip together with excerpts from a diary kept by Wendy…
The day after cataract surgery-waiting for the patch to be removed.
“We were invited to watch as the dozen or so people-who had cataract surgery yesterday-had their eye pads removed today. To our delight-sitting lined up on wooden school forms-on an open verandah were the patients-many of them Maasai women dressed in their colourful clothes and adorned with up to four or five ornately beaded necklaces-and dangly earrings which hung from their elongated and holy earlobes! We were in Maasai country-and many of these people has come from up to 70 kilometres away-including a 10-year-old boy who had sustained a traumatic cataract when a thorn fell into his eye.”
Wendy and a new Maasai friend at a mobile eye clinic near the Tanzanian border in Kenya.
“As we greeted these women-they were so warm and embraced us-the whole thing was very moving-especially when their eye pads were removed-en masse-and many who had had no sight for many years were able to see! One elderly lady was so happy-she said she felt like jumping-as is their custom-but which I discouraged her to do until her eye had healed!”
Wendy (right)-gowned up to observe cataract surgery at Sabatia Eye Hospital in west Kenya.
“We were warmly welcomed at the hospital-which comprises a number of small red brick buildings-set amongst well kept gardens and lawns. The CEO-himself an eye surgeon-spent the day proudly showing us every room in this amazing hospital. It was a stunning contrast to the mobile eye clinic we were privileged to visit the day before…Here at Sabatia-the nurses were smartly dressed in crisp uniforms-and the patients wore hospital pyjamas-including a large number of babies and small children with congenital cataracts who are treated there. Again we witnessed the removal of eye pads from patients who had received cataract surgery the day before. The stories were wonderful-as some of these people had been blind for some time prior to having this life changing surgery. They had been led in by someone the day before-and now they were independent and able to work. This small hospital is renowned for its work-and sees some 42,000 patients per year!“
A farmer-who recently had life-changing cataract surgery-proudly shows Wendy and Dona around his farm.
“The man-about 70-was the breadwinner for the three generations who lived there-but had gradually become blinded by cataracts-and was completely blind for 18 months-and had to rely on his wife to lead him around. This meant that he was unable to milk the two cows-and work his garden which gave them their food. In the last month he has had both cataracts removed-and now he can see. His wife said that last Sunday in church he was able to read the small print of his Bible.”
After 18 months of blindness-this farmer and his wife can get back to providing for their family.
“This life changing surgery means that he is now able to return to his farm work and support the family. His self esteem has returned and the family is so very happy! He proudly walked us through the thick red mud-past a couple of tethered cows to show us his productive food producing plot-and his more extensive holding of land which he may now be able to work.“
CBM Australia is part of the world’s largest disability development organisation committed to improving the lives of people with disabilities in the poorest countries. For more information-about their work-visit www.cbm.org.au.
