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During our recent medical mission, I was moving around around in the crowd when I spotted a young girl with her mother. I noticed that the girl was seating on the ground and feeling unconnected with the environment. I was moved to find out why. I sat down on the floor, met with her where was in other to be present.

What’s wrong with her? I asked the mother who saw me and started crying. It’s a long story, the mother said. “She went to school seeing but came back blind” How? I asked. The mother narrated to me what happened. She said:

“That fateful day, I waited for her to return from school but I couldn’t see her. I raised alarm. I went to her school and behold, she was sitting along in the class, leaning on her desk. I called her, she answered. She told me that she was sitting in class and couldn’t see again and everyone has gone home and left her behind”.

That was how the girl became blind. Our Pathologists, Optometrists and all medical team battled to see if they could see save her eyes, but unfortunately, her eyes were gone already.

Such stories remains with me. I will go and come back but with my body but my heart with remain there. It’s a difficult experience when you want to help but found yourself helpless. That’s one of the sad realities of mission.

In Africa an estimated 350,674 children below 15 years of age are blind and many more are living with undiagnosed low vision. Less than half of Africa’s citizens (52%) – some 615 million people – have access to the healthcare they need, the continent’s quality of health services is generally poor and the family planning needs of half the continent’s women and girls are unmet.