What a wonderful donation to BICO

Someone just made my day today.

Would you believe that in 2011 there are still people out there who are concerned with helping the less privileged blind and visually impaired children?

Insia , a UK resident and a grandmother knows how it is to raise two normal children into adulthood. She recalls how she faced many hardships at different times in life (including being told she would be made redundant) but managed to persevere in life. This is why despite not having lived in Africa where many blind and visually impaired cataract children are unfortunate not to attend sight restoration surgery; she clearly understands the difficulties that parents of blind and visual impaired children face. This is why she decided that she was going to be supporting Blantyre Institute for community Ophthalmology BICO in Malawi in creating community solutions that will ensure that blind and visual impaired children access sight restoration surgery at an earlier stage.

Insia has and will never be rich in cash, but she is very rich in spirit that she gives even a small portion of what most people would consider to be entirely for themselves. Most of us are busy trying to enrich ourselves and take advantage of the many unfortunate.

With Insia’s contribution to BICO, a visually impaired child from a poor family in Jali in Zomba who is struggling to read the blackboard will have a pair of glasses provided by BICO, and have much clearer vision that will make their education easier.Did you know that every Albino child needs glasses to protect them from the sun and yet hardly any in Malawi wear glasses?

Indeed we can make this world a better world. Insia has just made it for someone.

With as little as £20, a secondary school child in Malawi will have a chance to have a nice pair of designer glasses and to see the board clearly for the first time in their life.

Are you impressed?

Do you want to donate?

Contact me at : director@bicomalawi.org

Email me!

Optometry Students from University of Waterloo Canada leave Blantyre Malawi

It has been a busy 8 weeks period (August-October 2011) for me and the 4 Canadians students as I had to teach them every day. So I have not travelled from Blantyre without them since August.

Well a few blind children and adults have benefited from their trip as we saw thousands of patients together.

They came under Blantyre Institute for community OphthalmologyBICO, and I did like teaching them.

Here are their experiences in Malawi:

Past Student Experiences

“The clinical experience in Malawi was absolutely invaluable, and something that we will never forget.   This experience has helped us foster a deeper and more genuine interest in the need for eye care in developing countries such as Malawi.” – A. Caiger Watson, R. Dupuis, C. Durand, and D. Walker-Optometry Students from Canada Malawi Externship, Fall 2011

For any questions about the Malawi Ophthalmology/Optometry externship or rotation, please contact us and we would be happy to answer any of your queries!

dwalker09@hotmail.com

cd_143@hotmail.com

 or me (in Malawi)

director@bicomalawi.org

I am happy that they enjoyed their stay.

Want to come to Malawi and spend some time with me?

Contact me.

Email me!

Donating glasses to visually challenged children in Malawi

One particular group that I am currently serving is the children who are albinos, as these have a lot of difficulty with their sight. Because of lack of pigment, they do find it hard to cope with the sun and their eye usually water all the time. They also have difficulty seeing. Giving them glasses helps a lot. Here I am presenting a pair of glasses to a pupil at Malosa secondary school in Zomba, Malawi. There are so many albino kids in Malawi who need your help. Blantyre Institute for community OphthalmologyBICO an organization that I direct and which is involved in a lot of eye activities that benefit the albinos from rural communities of Malawi. We currently do not have enough money to help all the children. Do you want to be involved? Then please contact me at khumbokalua@yahoo.com

What do you say? Email me!

News Just in

I have heard that the high court has allowed peaceful demonstrations to take place in Malawi tomorrow on 21st September. I am very worried for two reasons: fear of my life and fear of my property. I was innocently tear gassed by police on 20th July in Blantyre even though I was not involved in the vigil.3 days later my house was vandalized and my vehicles were broken in. I have no reason to rejoice in any force of strike/vigil as long as people plan to root other people’s property. If you do not see my writing anymore, it may be because I have been injured during the vigil, otherwise you will see me writing about blind children tomorrow (especially that we are told not to come to work). Heard that the street kids have burned the Blantyre Marker? We need to do something about such children otherwise we will continue facing such challenges in Malawi. Blantyre Institute for community OphthalmologyBICO an organization that I direct and which is involved in a lot of eye activities that benefit the rural communities of Malawi will be prepared to ADD IN streets kids in its programme. But we need to get funding for them. Do you know of anywhere we could apply for funding? Then please advise me. What do you say? Email me!

YOU ASK WE ANSWER

WE ARE THE EXPERTS IN COMMUNITY EYE HEALTH

Blantyre Institute for community Ophthalmology BICO was founded in Blantyre Malawi in the year 2008 with the mission of contributing to the prevention and control of blindness in Malawi and neighbouring countries in the Southern part of Africa through conducting practical research, teaching, training, consultancy and advocacy in eye care delivery.
The idea to start the institute was conceptualized after realizing that despite nearly 10 years after the launch of the VISION 2020: the Right to Sight; the global initiative to eliminate avoidable blindness and the various achievements in many areas of the world; the southern part of Africa has still not made much progress especially in the area of research on effective community eye care programmes.
The centre aims to coordinate research being carried out eye care professionals in Malawi and transfer the best of its expertise and experience to an ever-increasing number of eye care institutes across Southern Africa The centre is strategically located within the University Of Malawi College Of Medicine teaching eye hospital, the Lions Sight first eye hospital in Blantyre.
The centre has helped in restoring sight to thousands of Malawians.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

You can help by sponsoring a sight restoration eye camp to be done within the community in Malawi.

You can Fund health services research to improve eye services for children?

You can help by sponsoring a midlevel personnel officer to undergo one year ophthalmology training which includes.

You can help by donating cash as little as you can.

You can help by sponsoring a doctor to specialise in ophthalmology (four years course).
Support training of Ophthalmologist Training of nurses in community eye health

Email BICO!

director@bicomalawi.org or bico@bicomalawi.org

Helping Others

Believe me or not; no matter how much you have you don’t get full satisfaction until you start helping others. This is why apart from being an eye doctor, and helping many close relatives, I continue doing charity work through Lions Club of Limbe, which is part of Lions Club International.
My involvement in the club has made me become a better person.
I need to be helped myself in a lot of ways (both financially and non financially) but I also help a lot of others.
Blantyre Institute for community Ophthalmology BICO an organization that I direct is involved in a lot of eye activities that benefit the rural communities of Malawi at no cost to them.
Due to global economic crisis BICO has been facing several challenges including difficulties in fund raising. But we are still doing some work, and are always looking for well wishers who can help us implement programmes.
Do you know of anywhere we could apply for funding? Then please advise us.
What do you say?
Email me!

Slowly getting back to normal life

It’s been hard for my family and me for the last few weeks such that I have not been on the net.
You see after we were terrorized on 25th July 2011 (had my property and vehicle destroyed by robbers), my family has not been the same.
We are still having nightmares.
But I would like to thank all the good people who have been supporting us, and who have made our life much easier.
Imagine just yesterday an unknown retired gentleman from Germany who saw the story on my blog site promised to give me Euro 50; and he is already asking for my bank details.
Yes a few people want to destroy, root; but there are also a lot of good people who are there when you need them.
I have resumed my work at the eye hospital and I am still seeing a lot of blind children.
Today I operated on this lady from Nsanje who was completely blind and i am happy that I have made a change to her life.

I will post a few pictures as soon as am settled.

What do you say?
Email me!