Kwale District Eye Centre - Kenya

Mission Statement

KDEC aim is to eradicate avoidable blindness.

1 - Highlights of the last six months

• Operations at all time high
• Awareness creation remains the most important tool, especially in disability
• 4 WD vehicle pledged by Christoffel Blindenmission International
• Women group trainings a success

This year, work in the community was very successful, with 1,708 cataracts performed in 2005. The impact of eye surgery on the individual is immense but, in the bigger picture, we feel that the most important thing is to continue to create awareness of eye disease and disability. Community awareness and involvement at every stage of service delivery was increased. Over 20,000 people attended these meetings this year.

2 - The Challenges

Disability – the children

Children who are ‘not normal’ are still often hidden away from society, especially if there is an element of mental disability. Their own parents often prevent them from leading a normal life. The community needs to question this approach.

The best way to enable this to change is to create awareness about people with disability. Specifically, that they exist, they are people like the rest of us, with feelings and rights, and then show the community what these people are capable of doing, despite their disability. 37 meetings of this kind were held reaching 2,320 people directly.

Often the best place to start, especially with the recently-introduced free primary education, is the schools. We began with the teachers themselves, many of whom did not realise that a visually disabled or even blind child can learn well alongside a sighted child. 477 teachers in 50 primary schools were visited.

The teachers and the school inspectors need to understand what low vision is and how to best help a child with low vision. 36 teachers were trained on how to support children with low vision; 10 were taught Braille skills, so they can help totally blind children.

68 children with low vision reached us for help for the first time in 2005 and twice as many partially sighted children as last year were integrated into mainstream primary education. 40 parents were helped to accept the individual conditions of their children and to understand their abilities, limitations and needs.

Adults with Disability

Adults are helped as well as shown in the photograph to the right. Other adults given assistance have started small shops or farming goats, chickens and even cows.

Above: Visual stimulation.
It is vital that every child makes the most of their vision as soon as they can because the nerve pathways to interpret what the eye sees continue to develop up to the age of 7.

Above: This albino girl can learn in a normal primary school but she needs spectacles and large print books.

Above: Thuweba, our Project Manager, admires a sweater knitted by our blind client after we funded some spare parts for her machine.

3 - Rehabilitation

Despite the 316 irreversibly blind people on the rehab programme, we know that many people who are blind are still being hidden away.

Even when identified as being irreversibly blind, the family are often over protective and will not allow these people to do things for themselves.

Again, awareness creation is the key to changing the community’s attitude and enabling these people to lead a more independent life.

4 - Outreach Safaris

In remote areas in Kenya with no eye care services four outreach safaris were done with Medical and Education Aid to Kenya (MEAK) – a UK based charity.

5 - Fundraising

Eye Go Fishing

This annual event was held on the North Coast in November, raised Ksh230,000/- (approx US$3,066)

Right: Karl Jennings won the 2005 David Parry Memorial trophy

6 - Publicity

World Sight Day

Right: Dr Helen thanks Pili who represented the group who referred the most number of patients. Our Guest of Honour, Amb. C. Mwakwere (Minister for Foreign Affairs) presented the trophy. Mr Mwakwere’s father was one of our original committee members!

Charity Shop & Awareness Centre

At the Diani Beach shopping centre continues to do well; we need items to sell.

Sign Posts

More of these were put up on the main road to give people time to decide to stop for an eye check or write down the website address.

Open Day for Low Vision

This was held on 13th July at KDEC to create awareness.

7 - Donors 2005

• Africaonline
• Arya Samaj Foundation
• Trustees of Aylesfield
• Austrian Red Cross
• Mr. KK Babla
• Baraka FM
• Barclays Bank
• Ms. M.Biagini
• Canadian Fund
• Mrs Chincherini
• Christmas Trust
• Christoffel Blindenmission International
• Changamwe Muslim Asociation
• Dark & Light
• Mrs Dickson
• East African Womens League
• Elizabeth Frankland Moore and Star Foundation
• Fleet Rotary Club
• Kenya Charity Sweepstake
• Kenya Ferry Services
• Lions Club Msa Central
• MEAK
• Mombasa Womens Association
• Ramsena
• Safaricom
• Scuba Schools International
• Sight Savers International
• Sight & Life
• Top Shop
• Mrs. I. Tyson

.. and many others, all of whom we thank

8 - Sources of Income 2005

9 - Visitors to the Project

• P Okumu – NGO Corporate Communication and Networking
• P Kisombe – Action Aid
• F Kiluva – CBM Nairobi
• Kilimanjaro Community Centre for Ophthalmology, Tanzania staff
• District Commissioner, Kwale District
• Mr. P. Cummings
• J. Crow – Trustee, EFEA(UK)
• A Mwakideu – Baraka FM
• R Steven & A Patel – Alcon S Africa
• E Mumbo, Dr Z Bagha – Ministry of Health, Kwale District
• Rotary Club of Diani members
• J Watkins-Pitchford
• East African Women’s League – South Coast branch members
• Medical Practitioners & Dentists Board
• HE A. Wood – British High Commissioner to Kenya

Photograph on the right:

His Excellency Adam Wood , the British High Commissioner, passes his eye examination.

10 - Statistics 2005