See the Way: Supporting Eye Health Heroes

Eye health professionals are on the frontline of preventing avoidable blindness in the world’s poorest communities. This week, we’re celebrating some of these amazing #EyeHealthHeroes, introducing you to the incredible team at CBM’s partner Nkhoma Eye Clinic in Malawi – watch the 5 short films below.

Meet the Nkhoma team

Steven Simwawa – Theatre Technician, Nkhoma

“Sight is different from any other thing. Sight can change somebody’s life.”

Eye Health Heroes: Meet Steve transcript (open link in new tab)

Louis Phiri – Ophthalmic Officer, Nkhoma

“Here in the village there are many challenges. People, they don’t know that they have cataracts. When they do, they don’t know where to go, because of a lack of services.”

Eye Health Heroes: Meet Louis trancript (open link in new tab)

Hytone Kadyamo – Administrator, Nkhoma

“With the support of CBM, we hope we can increase the awareness, we can strengthen the primary health providers and also the referral system so that avoidable blindness in Malawi can be reduced.”

Eye Health Heroes: Meet Hytone transcript (open link in new tab)

Precious Mwale – Optometry Technician, Nkhoma

“My work here involves improving people’s lives through prescription of glasses.”

Eye Health Heroes: Meet Precious transcript (open link in new tab)

Isabelle Schaefers – Optometrist, Nkhoma

“There is definitely a connection between visual problems and poverty… There are not a lot of places where [people] can go to get help. There are not a lot of Ophthalmologists in the country.”

Eye Health Heroes: Meet Isabelle trabscript (open link in new tab)

Together, we can train, equip and support more #EyeHealthHeroes working in the world’s poorest places. Find out more about our See the Way campaign and donate today (open link in new tab)!  Every pound you give today can have twice the impact!

Donations to our See the Way appeal before 17^th December will be doubled by the UK government, helping to train eye health workers, equip hospitals and strengthen eye health systems to ensure the maximum long-term and sustainable benefit. Public donations will help prevent blindness and transform lives wherever the need is greatest. Match funding from the UK government will improve access to sight-saving services in Malawi.

Thanks to generous donations to the See the Way appeal, we aim to launch a new project that will  train over 1,000 eye health staff, including Ophthalmic Clinical Officers, Nurses, and Health Surveillance Assistants, across 8 districts of Malawi. We hope that up to 9,000 blind and severely visually impaired people will be able to regain their sight, through access to quality cataract surgery and as many as 100,000 people, mostly from rural communities, may be able to access clinical and other essential eye care services within the 7 district hospitals and at Nkhoma Eye Clinic. Giving people’s sight back will enable improved health outcomes, increase their independence and improve their chances of being able to earn a living.

Image: Ophthalmic Technician, Precious Mwale, in training at the Nkhoma Eye Clinic in Malawi.