Tanga's Story: From Darkness to Hope
Tanga Tabe, a 60-year-old farmer and traditional cloth worker near Arba Minch in Ethiopia, faced a devastating reality: blindness. Three years ago, his right eye lost its sight. A year later, cataracts stole the vision in his other eye, plunging him into total darkness.
<p>"It was a very difficult time," Tanga recounts. Desperate for treatment, he traveled to Addis Ababa's Menelik Hospital, spending precious time and resources waiting for surgery. "I spent a lot of time waiting to have surgery and waiting at a rental house and became financially poor," he explains. "My son brought me back to my home because we couldn’t wait more.”</p><p>Helpless and unable to work, Tanga relied entirely on his son, Tadese, and his other children for even the simplest tasks. "My son Tadese and my other children were helping me to go to the toilet, serve coffee, to do everything," he shares. "I was thinking to kill myself down near the river."</p>
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My son Tadese and my other children were helping me to go to the toilet, serve coffee, to do everything.
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Tanga Tabe,
60-year-old farmer and traditional cloth worker </cite>
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<p>Tadese Tango, a skilled traditional cloth maker who learned the craft from his father, struggled to support his family during Tanga's blindness. "It was a very hard time," Tadese says. "Even I couldn’t make any cent for this one year because I couldn’t do my work properly because of my father's blindness, we finished all our money."</p>
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<figcaption>Thanks to the Cure Blindness Project outreach, Tanga underwent successful cataract surgery and regained his sight in both eyes.</figcaption>
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<p>Hope arrived unexpectedly in the form of an announcement about a free eye surgery campaign by Cure Blindness Project. "This was the only hope for us," Tadese recalls. "Free eye treatments, free transportation, and free food – all we need was that."</p><p>Thanks to the outreach, Tanga underwent successful cataract surgery and regained his sight in both eyes. The transformation was profound. "Now I can eat by myself," Tanga exclaims, his voice filled with joy. "I can start farming and my traditional cloth work!" He adds, "Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this team and Cure Blindness Project."</p><p>Tadese, overwhelmed with relief and gratitude, couldn't contain his emotions. "I feel like crying happily," he says. "I don't have words to thank you—thank you."</p>
