76-year-old Punya has had a tough life. Her mother was killed during a violent political conflict and her husband died early in their marriage when she was still a young woman. She relied on her income as a daily wage labourer in the nation’s capital, Kathmandu, to support herself.
After working for 14 years, Punya had saved enough money to move to a small village a few hours from Kathmandu. She built a home for herself and worked on a small farm to earn an income. The devastating 2015 earthquake in Nepal destroyed the home she worked so hard to build, but thankfully she was able to rebuild it with help from the government.
Punya outside her newly rebuilt home
Just as Punya was getting back on her feet, the vision in her right eye began to deteriorate. She was devastated! As she lived alone, she didn’t have anyone to care for her or help with daily chores. Life became increasingly difficult.
Fortunately, she heard on the radio about a screening camp, organized by Seva Nepal’s Youth Outreach Team, at the nearby school. At the camp, Punya was examined and diagnosed with cataract in her right eye. She was transported to the Reiyukai Eiko Masunaga Eye Hospital in Banepa where she received sight-restoring surgery free of charge, thanks to the generosity of our donors.
On behalf of everyone at Seva Canada, our program partners, and the millions of people like Punya that have been given the precious gift of sight, thank you for bringing joy and light back into people’s lives!
