On the day I arrived in Garbatulla, Kenya to begin my work with Operation Eyesight, there was no electricity, so I couldn’t let my colleagues back in Nairobi know that I had made it. The next day, the network came back online, but the incident sums up one of the challenges of working in this… Continue reading Notes from the field: Reporting for duty in Isiolo County, Kenya
Category: Community Health Worker
Eyesight is “priceless”: Patient embraces restored independence
Horibala, from the village of Godashimla, Bangladesh, likes to keep busy. The 65-year-old finds joy and motivation in her favourite pastimes: sewing and travel. But for years, she was unable to enjoy these activities as her eyes clouded over with cataracts. “I couldn’t see at all,” she recalls. “Even when I closed one eye to… Continue reading Eyesight is “priceless”: Patient embraces restored independence
Meet Faizunnahar, a community health volunteer in Bangladesh
As a community health volunteer, 28-year-old Faizunnahar spends her days bringing primary eye health care to the doorsteps of families who live in her area. She enjoys her job, but she knows that not everyone in her community approves of her work. In rural Bangladesh, where Faizunnahar lives, job opportunities for women are often limited… Continue reading Meet Faizunnahar, a community health volunteer in Bangladesh
The knock on the door that changed everything
All his life, Kamal has worked as a farmer. He raised two boys on money he earned working the land, and even now, at age 69, he continues to farm. But in recent years, he struggled with the work because of his failing vision. Kamal lives alone with his wife in Auraha, a village in… Continue reading The knock on the door that changed everything
