"I was eager to have my cataracts removed as I had a hard time seeing. When my child goes to work, I am alone in the house the whole day so I had to be careful when cooking,” explains 68-year-old widower Willie from the Philippines. “Sometimes, I needed to get food from the local store but it was not safe for me because of my eyesight. I can see clearly now out of my one eye and this makes me very happy."

Mulunesh Worku, a 70-year-old from Arba Minch, Ethiopia, couldn’t perform her daily chores, she couldn’t see what she was eating or wearing, and most importantly, she couldn’t see her newborn grandson. Following cataract surgery, she was able to see clearly and resume her daily activities. And see her beautiful grandson’s face for the first time.

Ten-month-old Odelia was diagnosed with congenital cataracts a few months after being born. Her mother brought her to a pediatric-only surgical outreach in Ghana this summer. Doctors were able to restore the toddler’s sight at no cost to her family. “They (HCP) are doing great. I even said on the outside when I came I was still not happy because I was not having enough money. And I didn’t know the amount they charged. So I quickly came and asked one of their colleagues. And they said it was free. And I said what of the drugs. And they said it was free, everything is free. God who places the NGO that is taking charge of this, God will help them and give them long life so they’ll always remember the poor.”

HCP is empowering local teams in various locations, including those without permanent infrastructure, by sending them outreach kits filled with essential equipment and instruments for eye surgeries like small incision cataract surgery (SICS). These kits provide doctors like Dr. Gloria Kyeremeh, an Ophthalmologist from rural Ghana, all the essential equipment, tools, and consumables needed for performing eye surgeries. Dr. Gloria was overwhelmed with gratitude and excitement as she realized the impact this would have on her patients and her community.