Physical Health Pakistan Project #23073

Restore eyesight to 1500 poor women in Pakistan

by The Layton Rahmatulla Benevolent Trust

Project Report | Apr 20, 2017
Able members of society again - thanks to you

By Fariha Nadir | Project Leader

Examination

42 years old Samina works hard to help her husband make ends meet; their household expenses are growing and they find it impossible to meet the need of their 5 children and aging parents in law. While her husband toils all day as a helping hand at a nearby store, she sews and embroiders women’s clothes at home. Together, they are hardly able to put food on the table throughout the month. Often, the end of the month leaves them penniless and starving.

Having being born into a household riddden with poverty, Samina had learnt to do her share and never complain. So much so that she had had vision problems even as a child but had learnt to ignore it and live with it. She had other problems that took the attention away from her weakened eye sight; she could not hear and had severe pain in the lower half of her body.

Despite all this, Samina took care of her home and sew and embroider clothes for thr women in her neighborhood. A few months ago, she realized that she could hardly see anymoer – she had developed cataract in her right eye. No matter how much she ignored it, the problem would not go away. Finally, she could put it away no longer. This issue seemed bigger and far more fearsome than any other.

She visited a private ophtalmology clinic but the cost of treatment was far beyond her reach. Affording a treatment in any of the private set ups was a dream that was to remain unfulfilled. She was disappointed due to her domestic situation. There was no hope of survival for them if they could not have her income supplementing her husbands.

Fortunately, someone at the shop where her husband worked, mentioned LRBT – a free of cost eye care facility for the poor and needy. She wasn’t sure that her treatment would be possible with out any cost but soon visited LRBT Multan, accompanied by her sister. She was examined in detail and was given a surgery date. Her right eye surgery was performed successfully soon after.

She can now see the colors of life better than before and after the operation, wants to clean everything since it has been a lifetime of impaired vision that never allowed her to see the details. She feels fantactic after the surgery. Ecstatic, she has returned to her life with greater zeal is looking forward to providing her family a good and happy life.

As she was leaving LRBT Lar-Multan with a smile on her face, she said:

“I wish LRBT a very good for future. May all those in need, like me, find their way to this God sent place.’

Links:

http://www.lrbt.org.pk/

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Jan 29, 2017
LRBT - Giving Sight, Transforming Lives

By Fariha Nadir | Project Leader

Kausar Bibi - Working

55 years old Kausar, looks older than her years; her hunched back and wrinkled face speak volumes of hardships endured.Widowed at a young age, she has been working as a household maid 6 days a week and taking care of her own house on the only day she gets off from work.Supporting 2 daughters, she has taken pride in taking care of her children and her house herself. Her only son left with his family to a bigger city in search of better opportunities. Come illness or bad weather, the hard working Kausar is perpetually at work.

This took a toll on her health and she developed various ailments. To save money, she resorted to Hakeemi medications which offered her a quick fix. While those meds kept her on her feet, in the long run she started developing side effects which could not be corrected, even with more of those meds.

One of the side effects was the development of bilateral cataract. Daytime and brightly lit environments became difficult to work or even crossing the road became dangerous. She once tried to seek treatment at a local hospital, about two years ago before LRBT Chiniot became operational, but on hearing the cost involved, she decided that it was not for her and continued to work despite her condition. She prayed that her vision survives just long enough that she could marry off her daughters and see them settled in their new homes.

Once she was almost run over by a rickshaw and reached her employer’s house bruised. The lady of the house tended to her injuries and then proceeded to bring her straight to LRBT Chiniot.

During Zakat assessment, she broke down thinking that she might get refused treatment due to her poverty and be disgraced. Tearfully she narrated her story to the patient counselor, who did his best to alleviate her concerns, gave her due respect and reassured of a state-of-the-art treatment without any cost to her. It was in much more relaxed state that she entered the operation theatre. For the first time in years she was able to walk by herself without fear of bumping into something or someone!

Ecstatic, she was operated upon on her other eye the very next month and is now back at work with greater enthusiasm and dedication.

Kausar Bibi - All smiles

Links:

LRBT Website

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Oct 30, 2016
Giving the gift of sight to women in Pakistan!

By Fariha Nadir | Project Manager

The role that women play in the society is pivotal; they are mothers, sisters and wives – the ones truly shaping our future. However, often, being a woman in the Sindhi society is a thankless task, and often very dangerous too.

Women in rural Sind work with their husbands and fathers in the fields as well as take care of their homes, but the society does not pay them the due respect. They have to look to their men for the most basic of needs – even food and respsect.

Heer Khatoon, 25 years old, is one such woman. She is a house wife and a mother of 3. Her husband is a farmer who tends the land of their landlord. She also works with her husband in the fields. Due to lack of nutrition and fatigue, she suffered from a disease which caused cataract in her left eye. She complained about her diminishing vision to her husband but he did not paid attention and assumed she was making it up to avoid work. So, Heer Khatoon never went to an opthamologist. However, after a year passed by and a white scar appeared in her eye, she showed it to her husband and told him that she really could not see anything anymore from her left eye.

Panic stricken, her husband finally understood that a blind wife would be a burden rather than support and took her to a nearby clinic where she was diagnosed with cataract and informed that she needed immediate surgery. However, the cost of surgery was too high for her husband to be able to afford. An attendant at the clinic saw he couple in distress and suggested they go to LRBT Gambat – a facility which provided completely free eye treatment to the poor and needy.

The very next day, Heer came to LRBT Gambat for an eye checkup. Upon detailed examination, she was diagnosed with drug induced hyper mature cataract in left eye and immature cataract in the right eye and booked for surgery.

On 22-09-2016 a successful surgery with intra Ocular IOL performed free of charges and restore her vision by 6/9

On fist follow-up, she came to LRBT with her husband and was very happy; She had started work at a neighbor house and was getting Rs. 3000/- per month to help her husband.

‘Really, LRBT is hope for hopeless – it has helped me step into a position of more independence and confidence. I now believe that God is looking after me’

Links:

http://www.lrbt.org.pk

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