Community Free Eye Care Gallery

Screening excercise for the 2nd phase of Community Free Eye Care Service by Asmau Foundation for Orphans and the less priviledged commenced 22nd March 2010 at the Local government health department, Okene. [Click here to download the presentation]

At a time of devastating global economic challenge, Asmau Foundation is touching the lives of Anebira in an uncommon way; rendering sucour to the less priviledged.

Due to the rising threat of blindness in the country and the world, the foundation recently embarked on a broad campaign against blindness in Ebiraland, in tune with the United Nations’ target of reducing blindness to its bearest minimum by year 2020. Towards the end of year 2009, the foundation demonstrated a feat when it conducted Free Eye surgeries on about 200 people with Cataract or Pterygium as its first Phase of Community Eye Care Service in Ebiraland. This resulted in sight restoration to over 50 people, about 200 provided with Free (corrective) Eye glasses and more than 200 others benefited from free drugs/treatment. View Slideshow

The exercise recorded huge success and was greeted with payers with out-pour of emotions as beneficiaries celebrated the joy of seeing their loved ones again after years of hopelessness. The excitement was so much that requests for the repeat of the exercise started pouring in, almost immediately.

Of special concern during the first phase of the exercise was the case of a 70 years old man blinded by Cataract for 15 years. This demobilised the farmer, leading to perpetual poverty. After a successful bilateral surgery, the old man regained his sight and was filled with awe. That was just one out of the many other beneficiaries overjoyed by the result of the noble exercise.

As common to blindness, one of its telling impact is the stalling of the socio-economic strive of the victim. Once blind, the affected person becomes completely dependent on family members for survival and may resort to begging. Subsequently, the wards-in most cases- are forced out of school to guide the beggar in the ignoble strive. This unfortunate trend still affects many families in community today.

Cataract, a major cause of the reversible blindness is now common place in our community. Though hereditary according to professional analysis, negligence and poor sanitary habit constitute the influencing factors responsible for the degeneration of this preventible Eye defects. However, the poor economic state of the people hampers on the affordability of early treatment hence the scurge.

Less than four months from the phase 1 of exercise, Asmau Foundation began the 2nd with a target of 1,500 beneficiaries. While awaiting the arrival of experts consulted to handle the exercise in Okene, resident doctors and specialists began the screening exercise from March 22nd 2010 to ascertain deserving beneficiaries and profer diagnosis.

The screening venue, Okene Local Government Health Department soon became a sea of people arriving from within and neighbouring states to benefit from the generous gesture. Though Ebiras are the primary target of the Organization, beneficiaries of the project’s 2nd phase included people resident across Kogi to Kwara, Ondo Edo and Ekiti states. The mamoth crowd witnessed on the first and 2nd day of the screening exercise informed the increase in targeted beneficiaries from 1500 to about 2000 people and the extension of the exercise duration from the initial 6 days to 12 days, ended April 1st, 2010.

People between the age of 2 to 80 years including infants, students, artisans, businessmen, housewives, farmers and cattle rearers benefited from one or more components of the recently conluded 2nd phase which consists on-the-spot drug administration, free drugs distribution, Refractions (corrective eye-glasses) and Eye surgeries. Every aspect of the exercise is 100% free, solely sponsored by the foundation director, Alhaji Sanusi Abubakar.

So far, the foundation has catered for over 2,000 Eye cases including 500 free surgeries (Cataract and Pterygium), over 1000 Refractions and hundreds of free drugs disbursed to people with minor defects. The encomium and prayers received from the beneficiaries, their loved ones and the general public indicate the need for urgent response to the collective needs of our people.

The first phase of the exercise held last year catered for about 800 people with a total of 87 free eye operations. Asmau Foundation is committed to alleiviating the suffering of the less priviledged in the society with special focus on orphans.

EbiraView is the official media consultant for the foundation and will be updating our readers with the progress of the services.

For more info, call the coordinators on 0803 825 0570.