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Kenya. A nation of vibrant savannahs and towering mountain ranges. One of Africa’s greatest tourist attractions. Yet 750 000 Kenyans will never be able to see the beauty around them. All due to cornea complications. A damaged cornea takes less than £20 to replace; a month’s salary for them, less than a day’s earnings for us. On the 7 of August a group of doctors will set out to change lives. They will screen rural villagers, providing operations, medication and advice, along with meals and travel costs to our camp. With your generosity we can give many the gift of sight.
I'm going to Kisumu on 7th August to help out at an eye camp nearby (read on for info) but the frustrating thing is, it can't take place unless we get the £3000 needed. The camp would last for three days and treat over 500 people, providing advice to many more.
Even a few £s would save someones sight, so feel free to sponsor me!
The Facts
Cataract and cornea conditions are responsible for 18 million cases of blindness worldwide, and 750 000 of these are in Kenya. This figure is increasing by nearly 200 new cornea complications per day.
Of the 70 000 conditions that are identified each year, almost all are treatable, but only 30% are. This is because Kenya has 70 ophthalmologists and 150 optical healthcare workers for a population of 41 million. Thats just one eye surgeon for every 500 000 people.
The Solution
Eye conditions are one of few cases where a complex problem can be resolved with a simple solution. Cornea transplants take 15 minutes, cost less than £20 and dramatically improve sight with remarkably few risks.
Eye surgeons screen patients to judge who would benefit from a cornea transplant, and in doing so they can also determine whether they have refractive issues, ie if they need glasses. Hundreds of thousands of pairs of glasses are donated every year to this cause, and this means long distance sight can be restored to thousands of people for practically nothing.
What We Can Do
Asian Foundation for Help, in partnership with Lion's Club Kisumu, would use the £3000 to send surgeons to Lions Eye hospital in Sabatia, which is about 50km from Kisumu, to screen over 500 people living in the surrounding villages and operate on those that required treatment. They would also provide glasses, medication and advice to those with less serious conditions.
These people have little access to medical care, and many cannot even afford the $1 bus ride to the hospital. The money would also be used to transport the patients to/from the hospital, and accomodate them whilst they recover from surgery.
The charity undertakes similar projects every 2-3 months, but in different areas around Kenya, so for many villagers this will be their only chance to have their sight restored.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity
So please dig deep!
