“I was happy when my teacher diagnosed my eye problem”

Fatima continues: “While the parents know about the eye problems of the kids, the teacher might not know the severity. With Sightsavers, there are trainings on how to interview the children via the use of eye test charts to identify the problem.

“Regaining their sight is what we need because most parents just don’t have the means to take the children to the hospital.”

Now trained to give basic eye examinations, Fatima is delighted that she can help her students. “Although not our biological children, we consider them as ours. By reason of this, what we can do for our kids, we can equally do for them,” she says.

Sa’id was then referred to Dr Okoro Monday, an optometrist at Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, who has been working in Kaduna for 18 years.

“The eye is a window to the brain,” Dr Monday explains. “Many children have uncorrected refractive error. If left uncorrected, over time, conditions become more difficult to manage. We try as much as possible to correct such incidents.”

Our eye health programme in Kaduna works in partnership with local organisations, communities and the Ministry of Health. It’s helping to improve equitable access to sustainable, quality eye health services in Nigeria, which is one of more than 30 countries across Africa and Asia where Sightsavers works.