Written by Cam Kilgour
The charitable cause to which many friends and family have donated is the eye care programs in Africa funded, in part, by Seva Canada Society. My partner Cathy and I became engaged with Seva in the early 1990s and served on the board in that decade. The motto for the organization has been “A solution in sight.” The mandate has been to improve vision care and, when possible, to restore sight through corrective surgery such as cataract operations.
Yesterday, I hopped on a local bus and did the milk run to Moshi to visit the Kilimanjaro Centre for Community Ophthalmology (KCCO). The city of Moshi is at the base of Africa’s tallest peak and is the site of a regional hospital called the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre within which the KCCO office was originally housed. After being approached by safari promoters, I made my way to the hospital.
Directions to the eye center
Though I have been in regular contact with KCCO staff and Seva, I was unaware that the office had moved. However, the medical facility is where much of the optometry, screening and surgery takes place. Below is the entrance to the clinic.
List of eye care services outside the clinic
A mother & child registering in the diabetic program
The clinic was busy indeed, with lots of patients queuing for service. A clerk directed me to the KCCO office on Boma Road in the city. There I met with staff members and had a thorough discussion of their work. The grainy image below (sorry) is the KCCO staff.
KCCO Staff
From left to right, they are: Genes Mng’ a nya: Adminstrator, Peter: intern, the woman who maintains the office, Fortunate: program manager, Titus Nyange: Sustainability Planner and Elizabeth Kishiki: Childhood Blindness/Low Vision Coordinator.
And from all of us at Seva Canada and on behalf of the people you have given the power of sight to in the Mara Region of Tanzania – thank you, Cam!!! Way to go!
