Restore eye sight & worth of rural poor in Uganda

“My family chased me from the garden when they noticed I was pulling out the plants instead of the weeds,” she said quietly. "That was when they decided that enough was enough and brought me to the hospital'', she continued. Gently led by the hand of an attendant, she entered the consultation room. On examination, I found that both of her eyes had total white cataracts, completely blocking any light from entering her eyes. She had been living in total darkness. Puzzled, I asked, “Why were you trying to weed when you can’t see anything?” She replied softly, “I didn’t want people to think I was blind and helpless.”

This quote is from a story shared in a post on X, on 21^st March 2026, by an award-winning female Ugandan eye doctor, the only ophthalmologist in Moroto Regional Referral Hospital, a public hospital. Actually, she is the only eye doctor serving the whole of Karamoja sub-region, with a population of about 1.5 million people.

She never ceases to amaze in her quest for excellence and professionalism in delivering eyecare services; while going above and beyond to humanize blindness.

“Humanizing blindness means moving past stereotypes and pity to recognize visually impaired individuals as independent, capable, and multifaceted. It shifts the narrative from "tragedy" to inclusion, emphasizing accessible technologies, equal opportunity, and the lived reality of navigating a primarily visual world.”

Sadly, she is mostly a lone voice. Many in Uganda have significantly internalized debilitating stereotypes on blindness and it is visible in words, actions and public policy. “I didn’t want people to think I was blind and helpless.” The prevailing and dominant belief in Uganda that going blind necessarily means your life is over.

And that is why we celebrate with her and celebrate her. We love to read her many stories in which she has used her magical hands to perform surgeries that are saving people from avoidable blindness, one indigent patient at a time.

As shared on her post on X, the surgery she performed on her patient was successful. She who was brought to the hospital blind, “both of her eyes had total white cataracts, completely blocking any light from entering her eyes,” was saved from living in darkness.

“I can see the color of your dress. It’s blue!” she would exclaim excitedly whenever someone walked past. The excitement was contagious. She could now see everything she had missed. A by passer could easily mistake her to be insane.” 

Yes, we can. Little by Little, one eye at a time, and with your support, we can be the support team of eyecare service providers in Uganda; and through them. enable people from disadvantaged communities in rural Uganda to access eyecare services.

We at CPAR Uganda, are grateful for the donations so far made towards our project to restore eye sight & worth of rural poor in Uganda. To our supporters who have made a financial contribution, we say thank you.

We continue to ask for your assistance to spread the word and to encourage others in your wider networks to give in support of preventing blindness among the already disadvantaged and to advocate for implementation of policies that humanize blindness.

Links:

• Full Story on X "Her sight was failing"