“Seeing people help the kids was one the most beautiful experiences of my life,” says María Mejías, who came along to Tanzania with us last December. Mejías works in Customer Services at ZEISS Vision Care in Madrid, Spain. Before traveling to Africa, she took part in various projects in India, Ethiopia, Algeria and in the Philippines. But no trip was as intense as the one to Kabanga. “I spent the first few days in tears,” she says. “It was so touching to see how the kids live at the home.”
They were very loving and caring, no matter what medical problems they had. Some of the kids are mentally handicapped or mutilated, others deaf or mute. Take 10-year-old Letizia. Shortly after Mejías’ arrival, the child approached her and never left her side. Even though they couldn’t communicate – Mejías doesn’t understand sign language – they understood each other. This was a whole new experience for Mejías.
In the 16 days that Mejías and her colleagues spent there, they realized that many of the albinism kids suffer from nystagmus as well as from infections known to cause ingrown eyelashes. For this reason, proper hygiene and eye care training is high on the agenda, as is learning to use glasses correctly.