Restore eyesight to 1500 poor women in Pakistan

Shabana a 45-year garment factory worker where she works as a cropper and her husband works in workshop as mechanic. Shabana has 3 children (2 sons and a daughter) both her sons are school going where as her daughter is married. Shabana besides working at the factory looks after the household chores as well. Her family lives in a rented house. Shabana’s family struggles to make the ends meet in the meagre income they earn.

She started having difficulty while cropping the threads from the garments and there were many complaints against her work from the line manager. She went to the local doctor who told her that she has cataract and the operation cost as well. As she was unable to afford the exorbitant cost of the operation by a private doctor, she ignored her problem. But due to the difficulty to see properly her work which was in past up to the mark and she was best performer in her department started to get affected. On getting the complaints from the line manager her supervisor called her to terminate her services as she was not able to do her job properly. Upon inquiry she told her supervisor that she is unable to focus and see properly while cropping the extra threads that’s why there are many complaints against her. And since she has cataract and is unable to afford the cost of the operation she has ever since ignoring it.

Her supervisor upon listening to her ordeal told her about LRBT and its free eye treatment for the underprivileged. With this newfound information she asked her husband to take her to LRBT hospital which happen to be on the way to their workplace. At the hospital she was diagnosed with cataract and given a date for surgery. After her operation, Shabana was ecstatic that she was able to see properly. She thanked the staff of LRBT for providing her the best available treatment without charging her a penny which otherwise she was unable to afford with dignity. She is happy that now she will be back to work and earn for her family.

49 years old Safia  is an epitome of resilience in front of all the troubles which she has faced. She has raised 4 daughters single handedly after the death of her husband and married 2 of them. She works in school as a helper and runs a small startup by selling homemade herbal hair oil a recipe which she has learnt from her grandmother in her neighborhood to make the ends meet. Safia was having difficulty in seeing properly while working in school and when she was making oil in the evenings. She went to a local clinic in her area for her eye checkup where she was told that she has cataract and will have to go through an operation to be able to see properly.

 Her Cataract was affecting her work at school as she was unable to perform her chores properly and at home while making oils the fumes coming out from boiling it were also consistently hurting her eyes. Safia was worried about how she will be able to manage her daughter’s education and her daily expenses as she was on the brink of losing her job at school and was also not able to deliver oil orders on time. She was losing hope as she had no means or extra money to spend on her eye treatment. Safia got to know about LRBT and its free of charge treatment for the underprivileged while discussing it with one of her clients who inquired why her orders were not being delivered on time.

With hope she visited LRBT, where she was treated for Cataract. After her operation she is thankful to the doctors and staff at LRBT. While leaving the hospital with a rekindled hope to provide for her 2 daughters, Safia said that she has got a second chance after being treated at LRBT to earn respectfully and have a decent chance at life.

*The name of the individual has been changed for privacy.