Children like Mbaruku are waiting for a miracle. You can help.
Mbaruku’s eyes had given him trouble since he was very young.
“His eyes would get inflamed and tears would just come out,” says his mother, Mwajungu. She hoped his sight would improve as he grew. It didn’t.
By age 10, Mbaruku could not see the blackboard at school, or read words on a book right in front of him. It broke Mwajungu’s heart to watch her son sit on the sidelines while other children played and gained an education.
Desperate to save Mbaruku's sight, Mwajungu sought help and a private ophthalmologist diagnosed cataracts in both eyes. But as a single mother-of-two, Mwajungu could barely afford a consultation fee, let alone surgery.
With no options left, Mwajungu looked after her son as he went blind. They hoped for a miracle – and thanks to caring people like you, their wish came true.
A community health worker trained by The Fred Hollows Foundation visited Mbaruku’s school to screen the students and educate the teachers and students about eye health. From there, Mbaruku was scheduled for surgery on both eyes at Kwale Eye Hospital near Mombasa. Mwajungu was told that kind supporters like you would cover the costs of surgery, as well as travel costs to the hospital.
Without your kindness, Mbaruku might have been blind for the rest of his life.
Please give today to help people like Mbaruku before it's too late.
Mbaruku's mother lost hope.
When Mbaruku’s mother noticed his sight was failing, she feared for his future.
Mwajungu makes cashew nuts to sell, and only makes enough to buy food for Mbaruku and his sibling. Eye surgery seemed impossible.
“I used to cry deep down, thinking my son would be blind,” Mwajungu recalls.
If a child does not have surgery to remove their cataracts early enough, their brain does not learn to read signals from the eye – and they can be blind for life.
Thanks to people like you, Mbaruku can see again. He was spared from avoidable blindness.
Children are missing out on their futures. We must act now.
Kenya has the potential to become one of Africa's great success stories, but avoidable blindness continues to hold the country and its people back. With your help, The Fred Hollows Foundation is working alongside the Government of Kenya to make access to eye health care available to all.
Kenya needs your support
The need for more eye health services in Kenya is high. The majority of the population live in rural areas where access to help is limited. More than 328,000 people in Kenya are blind, and another 750,000 are visually impaired. Cataract, like Mbaruku had, is the largest cause of avoidable blindness in the country. But with your gift today, there is hope – for every $1USD invested in cataract treatment, there was an economic return of $20USD. The return on investment is even greater in Keyna, reaching a return of $52USD for every dollar – the highest return on investment in the world.
Blindness holds children back
Childhood blindness is more common in poorer countries, like Kenya, because of a higher prevalence of risk factors for blindness – such as measles, vitamin A deficiency, and cerebral malaria – and because eye health services are inadequate or lacking in many poorer countries. Children like Mbaruku who don't get help can face a lifetime of blindness ahead of them, affecting educational outcomes, employment opportunities and socio-economic status for life.
There is hope for Kenya
Your kind gift today will shape Kenya's future, and support Community Health Workers like Hemedi, who is one of Kenya's unsung eye health heroes. Hemedi travels door-to-door making visits to homes and schools, identifying eye health issues and referring people to The Fred Hollows Foundation’s partners at the Kwale Eye Centre for further treatment. Hemedi got Mbaruku the help he needed, and with your support today, people like Hemedi can continue their sight-saving work.
"My son now has a future"
At the hospital on the day of Mbaruku’s eye operation, his mother was deeply anxious. She knew this was the best opportunity for her son’s life to be changed – but would surgery be a success?
Mwajungu had to wait, and put her faith in your kindness.
It was a beautiful moment the next morning when the patches were removed from Mbaruku’s eyes. Mbaruku’s smile said all that needed to be said. His mother cried tears of relief and love.
This family now has a better life. Mbaruku is at school, learning alongside his peers. His mother no longer needs to stay at home caring for him, so she spends more time selling cashew nuts at the markets to boost her income.
Mbaruku and his broad smile are often seen in the thick of rowdy joyful soccer games. He is happier now and his future is so much brighter.
“Now my son has a future. I am confident that he can go to school and build a future for himself,” Mwajungu said.
Will you help carry on Fred's vision?
Fred Hollows had a deep connection to Africa. In fact, Africa was one of the reasons he become an ophthalmologist.
Fred only saw potential when he visited Africa. After he returned from Eritrea – one of Kenya's east African neighbours – he said: "Although Africa is such a poor continent, its potential, of all continents, must be greater than any other place on earth."
It’s caring people like you who have kept Fred’s vision for Africa alive and allow us to carry on our sight-restoring work. But there is much more work to be done. Every year about 14,500 new cases of cataract are discovered in Kenya.
With your caring support today, we can improve the lives of thousands of people in Kenya, securing their future and giving them something wonderful to look forward to - the gift of sight.
With your kindness this year, The Foundation will:
- Screen 395,000 people
- Equip 17 eye care facilities
- Perform more than 21,000 cataract operations
- Train more than 2,800 people including surgeons, teachers and community health workers
With your help, we can achieve Fred’s dream of an end to avoidable blindness in Kenya.
