It Takes a Village
The surgical outreach events held by HCP play an important role providing eye care. But, these outreaches wouldn’t happen without the support of many local community members - it’s not just the health care workers and doctors who play a critical role in ensuring these outreaches are a success.
Isaac Adjei Mensah, a member of parliament of the Wassa East constituency in the Western Region of Ghana, recently organized an eye screening event on behalf of HCP for individuals in the Brofoyedru-Western Region. Eye screening is especially important in this area as those living and depending on the Pra river have become prone to eye diseases, especially onchocerciasis. From that screening, 22 people were referred to receive cataract surgery - mostly women, but a few men and even two teenagers.
Bernard Frimpong, a community leader in the region, was part of the team responsible for transporting the 22 patients to the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital to receive cataract surgeries.
Bernard shared that many people had concerns about surgery, as they were worried about the cost. However, thanks to our committed community of donors, the 22 individuals he transported received surgery for free.
The Brofoyedru outreach event has inspired Bernard to become an eye care ambassador, spreading the word in his community about the services surgeons and health care personnel can provide. His role as an ambassador will help others receive quality eye care in the future.
At HCP, we rely on a vast network of local volunteers, government advocates, health care workers and our donor community to reach people for whom even basic eye care is limited. We are so grateful to people like Isaac and Bernard who help us serve communities like theirs in need of quality eye care.
