Abu Dhabi

World congress of Ophthalmology (WOC) is being held at Abu Dhabi and I am privileged to be there.

I am staying at the Yas Island Centro Rotana Hotel.

Hotel s are expensive-cheapest around $300 per night.

We had our first meeting today at 13^th February at Fairmont Hotel. We were discussing about the issue of cataract in sub-Saharan Africa.

Cataract is the commonest cause of blindness in adults and children. But it can be treated by a simple eye operation that last less than 20 minutes.

Do you want to know more about how cataract causes blindness?

Email me at director@bicomalawi.org

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My son

I did make it to 2012 and so did my son.

Also Born prematurely like her sister Tapiwa, my son Yewo arrived on 14^th January 2012 right in Blantyre Malawi at Mwaiwathu Private Hospital.

I gues I can confidently say I now have a complete family; with neither myself nor my wife willing to go through what we have been through again.

Tapiwa means “we have been given”-by God and Yewo means “thank you”.

Tapiwa is very happy to have a baby brother (someone to harass).

So less sleep for the next few months.

You want to say something?

Email me at director@bicomalawi.org

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Happy Days in 2012 ????

Yes I did make it to 2012.

Two years ago I blogged about some of us barely making it into the other year. I felt like this when 1^st January 2012 came in, because 2011 had its own challenges. For once all the plans (some call resolutions) that I had for 2011 were not fulfilled, and that made me disappointed: But sooner than later I realized it was because I had not asked God to plan with me. I planned and then just assumed GOD would help me fulfill them In scientific terms I could say I forgot that all plans have assumptions, and unless those are fulfilled the rest is history. In Christian terms we would like to ask God to reveal what he intends to do with us in the coming here, and try to go that path.

So here I am in 2012, with unfulfilled plans from 2011. I have presented them to GOD and asked to help me become a better and realistic planner.

Believe me the global economic crisis is hitting some of us harder. I did not manage to get a single project or research grant in 2011; and i had to lay off 3 of my already trained research assistants.

This is one of the hardest things I ever imagined Blantyre Institute for Community OphthalmologyBICO would be facing.

This also means less work for blind children i n rural communities in Malawi and less screening for for blind children in schools that are dificulty to reach. Community Ophthalmology collapsing in Malawi in 2012, give me a break!!!!! Unfortunately I do not give up easily.

So when 2012 came in I said to myself this is another year of challenges one, but I will try to turn those challenges into opportunities (easier said than done).

Enjoy 2012.

What are your plans?

Any comment?

Email me at director@bicomalawi.org

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Didn’t celebrate World AIDS day

I should have blogged about this as I do every year. But I was in Bangkok Thailand and had very little access to internet.

So I just thought about many relatives that I have lost to AIDS including my uncle who died 9 years ago (it feels like yesterday).

30 years later, AIDS is still on the rampage. Now we are talking about stopping the Global fund due to global economic crisis.

Give me a break. When we are busy investing in nuclear weapons , how can we say we do not have the money for ARV’s to help the many African who have the disease.

My theory: if AIDS was more common in Europe funding never have been an issue. As beggars we do not have options but to keep on pleading with them.

Rest in peace all those who have died.

Comment at : director@bicomalawi.org

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Today I am in Hongkong China

We are in Hongkong China with Vicki Mak, a doctor friend from New Zealand who I met while she was visiting Malawi. She has a passion to help the blind school in Malawi (see my earlier blog), and has visited the Hongkong society for the blind, where a lot of blind resources can be found. While in Malawi all we talked about was about blind children and Blantyre Institute for community OphthalmologyBICO but today since I have other friend from Malawi who have got nothing to do with blindness, VICKI is taking us to see Hongkong proper.

Well to me Hongong is like heaven, there are many many trees and the terraine in beautiful.There are a lot of people, but they are not cutting trees.

Before I know it is time to go to the airport and take my flight to Malawi; ready to deal with more cases of childhood blindness.

WE agree to keep in touch through email; and she will send the donated school itmes to me to deliver to Ntcheu school for the blind.

A big thank you to Dr VICKI for hosting us: I should have done more for you while you were in Malawi. But I shall revenge.

I wish you all the best as you start up on a new a job in Australia (haven’t been back there for a couple of years now);and I hope to visit you one of these days.

And who knows, you may even go ahead and specialise in Ophthalmology.

My other mentor (apart from Moses Chirambo) was the Australian Professor and Eye surgeon Fred Hollows, who spent a lot of time in Australia dealing with blindness among the aboriginals and rural communities; and who introduced the first lens factory in Eritrea.I believe peole like VICKI have a great potential to go that way.

Blind children from Malawi should know that there are people out there who care for them and are daily trying to do something for them. I am one of them.

Are you conviced they are ?

Contact me at : director@bicomalawi.org

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