James Mkhwanazi
In March this year, a team of Optometrists, program workers and international staff members from the International Centre for Eyecare Education (ICEE), with the aid of local district health services and representatives of Optometry Giving Sight, made a field visit to the small informal settlement, Magwaveni, on the outskirts of Tongaat, a town outside Durban in South Africa, to examine for uncorrected refractive error and eye disease.
In such a poor area as Tongaat, the closest eyecare services are 45km away, and for so many, travel to even the closest health service is beyond reach. But on this day, in only four hours, more than 200 local people received eye care services. Of those, 60 walked away with a pair of glasses and 45 were referred to other eye care services.
James Mkhwanazi (61), of Tongaat, was there. James loves to read but in the last two years his sight has deteriorated to the point where reading was no longer possible.
“I love to read my bible…but the problem persisted to the point that it hindered my ability to stand in front of the people and tell them about the word of God and about what I read in the bible.”
When James was given a +3.00 pair of glasses for reading, an unmistakable ripple of jubilation crossed the faces of all those around him as he laughed with joy, “I am so happy …I feel happier and more free in my heart and spirit and it will now help me do the will of God and things that have been hindering me because of my eye sight”, he said.
“I would like to thank you for coming. I would like more people to be able to receive the sort of services ICEE offers and I call on people to come …and receive the help and joy that I have”, he added.
