Gabriel Katantala Mutale

Gabriel Katantala Mutale on his bike

“My name is Gabriel and I became a volunteer three years ago because there are so many problems in my community and I wanted to do something to help. I believe in people helping each other.

In my training I learnt all about the most common eye diseases and how to deal with them. The others I refer to the clinic where a nurse can treat them. I tell people how to clean the eye to stop a disease called conjunctivitis reoccurring, and if they need ointment I tell them never to share it as this may spread infections.

Gabriel examines someone's eyes

Making people feel relaxed

On an average day I get up at 6.00 am and walk around the village visiting people in their houses. It is very important that I make people feel relaxed. I examine their eyes, and ask them if they have any problems with eye health.

My main challenge is how to move around the community. Some places are too far away to reach by bike. Also we don’t always have enough resources, for example for three months I didn’t have any antibiotic ointment.

Thanks to my training I was able to diagnose my grandmother with cataracts. She had an operation and now she can see again!”

Learn more about cataracts here.