Enabling mothers to build a better life for themselves and their children

A mother, carrying her baby on her back, happily collects water from the borehole
Written by Melissa Crocker, Senior Marketing Specialist, published on April 12, 2021 Give the Gift of Sight

As a mother of eight children ranging from seven months to 13 years old, Pamela didn’t have time to be sick. Living in Zambia’s Sinazongwe district, she was responsible for hauling water, washing her family’s clothes, tending to the vegetable garden, preparing meals and looking after her youngest children.

Two years ago, Pamela started to notice her vision failing. She visited a local health facility and was given eye drops. Unfortunately, her condition continued to get worse. She became unable to walk to the community borehole to collect water without help from her children. Sometimes her children had to miss school because she needed their help with the household chores.

And as a woman in her early 30s, it was unusual to suffer from cataracts, so many people in her village believed her condition was the result of a spell cast by people she had offended. She was miserable, and she was devastated that she could no longer care for her children.

When she attended a church service one Sunday, Pamela heard about an outreach screening camp in her village. She attended the camp and was referred for surgery at Operation Eyesight’s partner Maamba General Hospital, where she was provided with cataract surgery free of charge thanks to the generosity of our donors.

Pamela is now hopeful for a better life for herself and her children. Her vision has been completely restored. She is very happy to be independent again, carrying out all the household chores that she did before to care for her family.

This Mother’s Day, you can help a mother like Pamela take care of her family again by restoring her sight. Please donate to Operation Eyesight to help prevent blindness and restore sight for women and girls. Every dollar will be used to ensure they get the quality eye health care they need right now, and well into the future. You can choose to make a donation in the name of your own grandmother or mother or another important woman in your life.

Learn More