Sabina — Cataracts have blinded 9-year-old Sabina’s eyes. Unable to go to school, her future has faded as badly as her vision. by .

Giving the miracle of sight in the world’s poorest places.

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In the steep, perilous ravines that rise towards the mountains in Nepal, families live in extreme poverty. People with cataracts there face the double disadvantage of poverty and disability.

To help deliver vital support for people with disabilities, cbm-funded field workers trek through the mountains, identifying adults and children with physical disabilities living in remote areas and connecting them to relevant services. These cbm-funded services provide vital life-changing corrective surgery, physiotherapy and locally made assistive devices.

Cataract blindness affects many adults and children. Restoring a child’s sight requires a general anaesthetic to keep them asleep during delicate eye surgery. Instead of $35 for a 12-minute Miracle of Sight operation for an adult, $230 is needed for a child’s cataract surgery.

A sight-saving hospital was established 40 years ago by Dr Albrecht Hennig from cbm, when he opened a 12-bed Eye Care Centre. From these humble beginnings, the cbm-funded Biratnagar Eye Hospital now conducts one thousand operations a day. Within the bustling paediatric ophthalmology department, up to 150 young patients are treated each day. Up to ten children at a time receive the Miracle of Sight as cbm-funded Ophthalmologist Dr Pawan restores their sight.

Sight-saving cataract surgery is amazing. The eye is extremely complex but in the way God has designed it, a simple piece of transparent plastic can be slipped in to provide a lifetime of sight. It truly is miraculous!

Through the generosity of cbm supporters, adults can better support themselves and their families, and children are able to play with their friends, go to school, and plan for a brighter future.

cbm, also known as Christian Blind Mission, is an international Christian development organisation, whose mission includes delivering life-changing medication, support and surgeries to people disadvantaged by poverty and disability. cbm aspires to follow the teachings of Jesus in Luke 10:27 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.” To find out more visit www.cbmnz.org.nz.

Sabina waits anxiously for her sight-saving surgery. — Image by: .
Sabina is already thinking of her future. — Image by: .
Dr Murray Sheard received his PhD in Ethics and Philosophy from the University of Auckland. He has worked in international development for over 15 years and is the Chief Executive Officer of cbm New Zealand. — Image by: .