Failing to see
on Um Zayd wa Atheer (Uganda), 19/Aug/2009 19:11, 34 days ago
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I think will you have gathered by now that I love Miirya and its people. Most visitors to Masindi are unaware of its existence, hidden in the bush either side of the three 'main' roads. Stephen who lives just outside Masindi town has joined me on this exploration and shares in the excitement of all that we see and experience.I am particularly fond of Kyamwita village and its 5 volunteers. John, Majid, Abdu, Moses and Florence are all committed to Miirya, friendly and extremely welcoming. So it was to Kyamwita that we went with the VSO Communication Team who visited Masindi some weeks ago. I knew in this special place that homes would be freely open to us. There was no fear of muzungus (white people), clicking cameras, filming, flashes or microphones. The 2 homes we were invited to both proudly boasted a Miirya Project mosquito net. Janet and her children live in a mud hut. Christopher's house is made of brick and has 3 rooms. This is where I first met his daughter Sylvia. Although I noticed that she was quiet and reserved I didn't notice that she couldn't see. At the time nothing was said. That is until 2 weeks later when Christopher brought Sylvia to see me at a net sale. A lot has happened since then.Sylvia is 25 and beautiful. She is married with a 3-year-old child but with the onset of her eyesight problems she has been rejected by her husband. He has custody of the child. Sylvia has turned to her father for help. The Health Care System in Uganda is complex. Outside of Kampala there is no landline telephone and there is no broadband connection. Patients move from centre to centre with scrappy notes written in school exercise books. This is how we moved Sylvia from Kyamwita to Masindi to Hoima. On Page 3 in bold black ink someone had written 'complicated cataracts'. Recommendation, referral to Mengo Hospital, Kampala. That someone would have realised this was almost impossible to achieve.We, alias John, Stephen and myself, decided Sylvia had to go to Mengo by whatever means and whatever cost. The opportunity came when we all three travelled to Kampala for a VSO Workshop last Wednesday. Sylvia and her mother, Jennifer, came with us. The bus stopped to pick them up from the side of the road. They fell into their reserved seats and Sylvia stared at her unseen hands for the next 3 hours whilst others watched a Nigerian domestic drama on a TV screen. Others laughed at images she could not see.We arrived unexpected at Mengo at 1pm. By 3 pm Sylvia was being admitted and we were preparing to leave for next stage of our journey. We had negotiated the queuing system and Sylvia was seen as a private patient. Many of those waiting for a 'basic' consultation would not have been seen on that day or perhaps the day after. The queues were just too long. A bit of money bought priority. A bit more bought ultrasound examination and even more bought a bed and surgery. No amount of money buys food, bed linen or medication. Sylvia had surgery on her left eye on Thursday and her right eye on Friday. Mengo Hospital is 'Private Not for Profit' and is relatively clean, efficient and well equipped. The almost impossible had been achieved.We have phoned Sylvia each day since and we are waiting for her discharge so that she can travel back to Kyamwita. I desperately want to see her. Can she see? Even some improvement for some time will be a blessing. During their visit the VSO Communications Team also took some photos, including 1 of Sylvia. I have it ready to take to her. I want her to able to see how beautiful she is. Hopefully 1 day she will see her child again…..