Kaipasake

Kaipasake was chained to a tree when he was found by a fieldworker from a CBM-supported project in Papua New Guinea. 

Kaipasake was emaciated, deaf, blind and showing signs of being abused when he was found chained to a tree. Photo: CBM

He was emaciated, surrounded by food scraps and his own bodily waste. He had been chained up partly for his own protection to stop him walking into cooking fires and injuring himself.

On closer examination, Kaipasake was found to be totally deaf, blind in both eyes due to cataract, and severely distressed - so much so that he tried to scratch and bite anyone who touched him. There was also evidence of abuse, not just neglect.

After being unchained, Kaipasake was flown back to the base hospital where his full diagnosis emerged. He was suffering from episodic mental illness, arising from years of blindness, deafness, malnutrition and abuse.

The medical team established that the deafness was permanent, but the cataracts were operable.

After adjusting to a new diet, Kaipasake became strong enough to undergo cataract surgery, restoring his sight for the first time in years.

The restored sight, consistent care, improved nutrition and the security of the hospital brought a remarkable change in Kaipasake, as he became stronger and more settled.

In a few more weeks, he went back to his clan area - but refused to go to his home village because of all the bad memories. Instead he was welcomed by his own clan in another village and, when CBM last visited him, he had become a vanilla farmer - working to lift himself out of poverty.