Notes from the field: Reporting for duty in Isiolo County, Kenya

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

Sharing her love of bead work

For the past three decades, 68-year-old Meleniah has enjoyed doing bead work, a hobby she says brings her comfort. She lives with her husband in Chepaktet, a village in Elgeyo Marakwet County, Kenya, where she raises tree seedlings for a living. She supplements her income by selling her bead work. When she was forced to… Continue reading Sharing her love of bead work

Bringing futures into focus – the links between clear vision and quality education

Between textbooks, whiteboards and videos in class, most of the information that’s presented to kids at school is visual. So what does that mean for a child who can’t see clearly? In countries where eye health care is difficult to access, a simple eye condition like myopia (nearsightedness) can cause a student to fall behind… Continue reading Bringing futures into focus – the links between clear vision and quality education

A stitch in time: Cataract surgery revives career

Holding an awl in one hand, and a man’s leather shoe in the other, Abraham in Kenya demonstrates how he pierces a hole in the leather before stitching it up to make a repair. It’s part of his job as a cobbler that, for months, he was unable to do. A couple years ago, Abraham… Continue reading A stitch in time: Cataract surgery revives career