Celebrating the success of See the Way Malawi

Our See the Way Malawi project has now finished. We are excited to share that, together with our partners MANEPO (Malawi Network for Elderly Persons Organisations) and the Nkhoma Eye Programme, we delivered 6,652 cataract surgeries and provided outpatient services to a staggering 166,186 people at 10 district hospitals.

Recently, we met three people who had cataract surgery as part of the project. They told us about the life-changing impact of regaining their sight:

Dorothy

We first met Dorothy in 2022 before she was able to have cataract surgery. After three years of living with cataracts, Dorothy heard about the cataract team at Nkhoma Mission Hospital, but her family were sceptical. Dorothy found an ally in her granddaughter Evelyn, who arranged for a bicycle taxi to the hospital. Within hours of arriving at the hospital, Dorothy had been screened and operated on!

Following her successful surgery, Dorothy has now started her own business selling groundnut flour and firewood: “I can buy books and pens for my grandchildren… when we have extra profit we buy food.” She is now also able to volunteer to tell others in her community that it’s possible to be treated!

Dorothy said: “My life has changed after regaining sight!”

Angellah

“I was very happy after I got my sight back. I first saw my mother.”

14-year-old Angellah lost her sight over seven years ago due to cataracts. Her family were unable to access treatment and Angellah had to stop going to school. Her father told us: “It was a really sad situation for us, we could not manage to take her to hospital as we were also working in farms for our daily needs.”

When we met Angellah it was her first day back at school, and she told us about how she wants to be a teacher when she grows up!

James

James started noticing the symptoms of a cataract in 2022 and a year later completely lost sight in one eye.

As his eyesight deteriorated, running his bicycle repair business alone became increasingly challenging, leaving his family of seven in a difficult situation.

However, following successful surgery, James is back repairing bikes like before! When we visited him at his workshop, he told us: “I can clearly see and work properly.”

Supporting access to eyecare:

As well as providing healthcare services to thousands, See the Way Malawi has also strengthened the quality and accessibility of eye health services in the central region in Malawi. Over the course of three years, See the Way Malawi trained 1,775 healthcare workers on eyecare. In particular, the project has provided two people with the training and equipment to perform cataract surgeries in their district, and trained community leaders, community rehabilitation workers and members of Organisations of People with Disabilities on eye health awareness.

Henry, a cataract surgeon at Nkhotakota District Hospital, took part in our training and now feels confident about performing cataract surgeries. He told us: “I am very proud to say I am making a good surgeon of myself.”

Alongside this training, See the Way also improved the infrastructure of five local hospitals, including installing emergency alarm systems and accessible washrooms.

Thank you so much to everyone who made this project possible – your support has led to lasting change!