Kwale District Eye Centre - Kenya

1 - Highlights

• Improved KDEC access for elderly and infirm patients
• Prolonged major floods disrupt all aspects of our work
• Large print exam papers allow low vision children to sit exams for first time
• Rehabilitation a success with income generation scheme

Another barrier falls

A three wheeled ‘tuk tuk’vehicle, known within KDEC as ‘the Eye Pod’, brings patients from the main road, 800 metres away, to the eye centre.

Many people are too elderly and frail to walk almost a kilometre in the heat of the day to and from the Eye Centre. Patients are delighted that another barrier to reaching us has been overcome and more people are able to get help.

Excessive rains cause flooding in Kwale District

Our field team struggles to reach patients

Blind children integrated into pre-school education

In addition 23 children with partial sight were integrated into mainstream primary education.

Above: patients using the tuk tuk

Above: Our field team struggles to reach patients

Above: A partially sighted child is integrated into mainstream education

2 - Community Based Programme

This year our work was affected by extreme weather conditions.

The year began with such bad drought and famine that relief food was being distributed.

Of course, eye problems were less of a priority.

When the rains began in April, everyone was happy and started to plant their much-needed crops.

The rains however did not stop and by October flooding brought the District to its knees. Kwale District became accessible only by helicopter, and people lost not only their crops, but also their stores harvest, homes and, occasionally, their lives.

Field activities came to a halt as vehicle got stuck or met roads which had been washed away on their way to offer eye services.

The patients who were able to reach help could not hide their joy when they could see again.

Above: our vehicles struggle to reach patients.

Above: This lady's smile says it all. She can see again after a cataract operation.

3 - Low Vision

Despite the challenges faced during the year, remarkable milestones were realised.

One blind child was integrated into pre-school.

Four children with low vision sat for Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams, of whom two took the exam in large print for the first time in Kwale District.

Above: A boy with visual disability prepares for an exam.

4 - Rehabilitation

The emphasis in rehab focused on assessment and follow up of those people who had been previously identified as needing help.

This was helped along by involving the community organisations in progress of these visually disable people.

Most importantly, of the 42 beneficiaries of grants dispensed in 2004/2005 for income generating activities, 30 have flourished and are doing well.

Back to the farm

Only 45 and a single mother of three, Chizi has been blind for two years. She reached Kwale District Eye Centre too late to save her sight.

She was driving her loving family to distraction as she became a nuisance around the house. She fell over the bucket of water which had taken her sister two hours to collect. She wasn’t used to doing nothing, she had always been very hard working before she lost her sight. Her love is her shamba and she used to go out as early as possible in the morning to dig the fields, plant and weed her vegetables. She kept the family well fed this way.

But since she became blind, she sits in a corner, feeling useless and dejected.

The family scoffed when our rehab officer boasted that he could teach her to farm again. But Chizi learnt fast. First she had to learn how to get around using a white cane. Soon she was able to visit the toilet on her own and carry out chores such as sweeping, and washing dishes, and even lighting fires and cooking.

Chizi is no longer to be found sitting in her corner. She is out on her shamba, singing about how happy she is to be able to live independently, even if she can’t see.

Above: Chizi making tea during training at the Eye Centre

5 - Eye Camps

Many patients benefited from our outreach activities and 462 had sight restoring cataract surgery.

Our thanks go to the sponsors of these camps for their efforts to make this a reality.

Above: The smile of a man who has just regained his sight after many years of blindness.

6 - Infrastructure

• Eye Pod and surgical instruments donated through EFEA(UK)
• Ultrasound cleaner for cleaning surgical instruments in theatre by ProOptic Medizintechnik in Germany
• Sterilizer by Silver Lining
• Mobile operating microscope

Staff

We continue to offer a five-month attachment for students from the medical training college in Nairobi.

Two students trained in 2006.

Low Vision Assistant upgraded

The photograph to the right shows Annie Galway, a visiting Optometrist from Ireland, watching as Nzirani, our Low Vision Assistant, learns to measure the angle of squint.

Right: Team building-sports on the beach

7- Fundraising

World Sight Day – 12th October 2006 with new ideas

This year we visited schools to create awareness about the challenges faced by people with visual disability. The photograph to the right shows a game of blind hopscotch in play.

Liaison Eye Go Fishing Competition

The competition, which took place in November on the North Coast, raised a record Ksh402,800 (around US$5,370).

This year we had a sponsor, Liaison Group (IB) Limited.

Gil Parry, David's widow, was visiting Kenya and presented the David Parry Memorial Trophy to the winner.

The picture on the right shows Gil presenting the trophy.

Website

Eye Give – This is a new fundraising project which, unlike some other distance giving plans elsewhere, allows individuals to make donations for specific items or services to help patients at KDEC.

The two pictures on the right show (top) a beneficiary of Eye Give - a child born with cataracts and (bottom) Geraldine McBride, a visiting Optometrist from Ireland, measures a child's vision.

8 - Visitors to the Project

• S. O'Gorman & P. McKenzie – East African Women's League
• H. Mlingo – Kwale Deaf/Blind Unit
• Mr. & Mrs. T. Mehl
• I.S. Mwinyi – Kenya Red Cross – Kwale
• Mr. & Mrs. S. Dodds and family
• M. Otsieno – Safaricom Foundation
• Kenya Ophthalmic Programme team
• R. Condon
• P. Beja – Standard Newspapers
• W. Phillips – British Columbia, Canada & M. Ambajo, CIDA, Nairobi
• E. Kala & E. Wekesa – Trans World Radio
• L. Aritho & J. Murumba – Sense International (EA)
• Dr. C. Owino – Moi Teaching & Referral Hospital, Eldoret [to learn small incision cataract surgery]
• Mr. W.A. Nyangweso – District Education Officer, Kwale
• G. McBride and A. Galway - Ireland
• Mrs. J. Dean, Mr. J. Crow and Mrs. A. Dodds – EFEA (UK) Trustees
• D. Ward & L. Makuyu – CBM Regional Office, Nairobi
• A. Kachila & T. Mulwa - Liaison Insurance Brokers
• Z. Rashid – Low Vision Project – Kikuyu Eye Unit
• Dr. V. Nzomo – Coast Provincial General Hospital, Mombasa
• Familie Rehfish – Germany
• P. Bwayo – Chairman, Rotary Club of Diani
• J. Opie – Kingswood School, UK
• M. Kieti & T. Mboya – Kenya Union of the Blind, Nairobi
• B.W. Kamuti – Portreitz Medical Training College
• Mr. & Mrs. A. Vonlanthen – Austria
• Mr. & Mrs. H. Schlecht – Germany
• Sr. Assuntha – Likoni Catholic Dispensary
• L. Zarins – SSI UK office
• M. K. Kishasha – Medical Training College – on follow-up of trainees
• Mr. & Mrs. M. Foster
• E. Alwand – USA – for case study on Glaucoma in Kwale District
• Mr. & Mrs. Feldkircher
• Dr. S. Vogel
• W. Gindorfer and R.Fuechtenbuesch from ProOptic, Germany

9 - Donors 2006

• Africaonline
• Anonymous
• Anonymous 2
• Austrian Red Cross
• Baraka FM
• Ms. B. Schlecht
• Barclays Bank of Kenya
• Braeburn Mombasa International School
• Christmas Trust
• Christoffel Blindenmission International
• Consolidated Bank Ltd
• Dark & Light Blind Care
• Dr. Borgreffe
• East African Women's League
• EFM and Star Foundation
• Eyes for East Africa (UK)
• Fleet Rotary Club
• Funzi Furniture Spoon
• Mrs. Chincherini
• Imperial Bank Ltd
• Kenya Ferry Services
• Kijani Kenya Trust
• Lions Club of Mombasa Central
• MEAK
• Mambrui Welfare Group
• Mombasa Womens Association
• ProOptic Medisintechnik
• Ramsena
• Mr. R. Van Vleet
• Mr. S. Murtaza
• Radio Rahma
• Safaricom Foundation
• Sight & Life International
• Sight Savers International
• The Aga Khan Hospital, Mombasa
• The Hootenanny
• The Inner Wheel of Mombasa
• The Standard Media Group
• Mr. T. Becnel
• Nation Media Group
• Top Shop
• Tsavo Power Company
• Van der Haar Family
• Verkaat Foundation
• Ms. V. Ekin
• Vonlanthen Family

… and many others, all of whom we thank.

10 - Sources of Income 2006

• Christoffel Blindenmission International 23%
• Sight Savers International 22%
• Patient Income 14%
• Donations Worldwide 34%
• Fundraising (local) 7%

Right: Consolidated Bank management board presenting a cheque at KDEC

11 - To contact us

Please note our change in postal address which is given below.

Tel: +254 (0)40 330 0118

Mobile: +254 (0)722 785996

Email: eyeskwale@africaonline.co.ke

Website: www.eyesforeastafrica.org

Postal address:

Kwale District Eye Centre, P.O. Box 901 - 80100, Mombasa.

12 - Statistics 2006