I was recently in Kenya and Zambia, where I saw first hand the impact we are having, together.
In Kenya, I attended the grand opening event for the new operation theatre at Iten County Referral Hospital’s Eye Unit in Elgeyo Marakwet County. The facility’s design and construction meet international standards and will offer access to comprehensive eye examinations and treatment, diagnoses, specialist referral and surgery to more people than ever before. With our government partners and community members by our side, it was a powerful reminder of what these lifechanging eye health services mean to residents.
I then travelled to Zambia, where I attended the opening of a new vision centre in Kapiri Mposhi district. I also attended kickoff celebrations for the construction of the new Eye Unit at Kanyama General Hospital, where we are supporting both infrastructure development and staff training.
Brick and mortar facilities are just pieces of a much larger puzzle. Many people had to come together to make these events possible – from the community health volunteers who bring eye health care to people’s front doors, to the teams training healthcare staff in primary eye care, to the frontline staff providing care, to the community members who are adopting eye-healthy behaviours and seeking care when they need it. It truly is a team effort, and it was inspiring to see our global community come together.
For six decades, donors like you have been a key part of our global community and have helped projects like these come alive.
The communities and partners I visited used different languages, but the message was the same: thank you! It speaks to the lives that we are transforming, together.
