Friday
19Jun

A Miracle World: A Child Sees for the First Time Since Birth

DateFriday, June 19, 2009 at 5:05PM

The PBL (Prevention of Blindness) mobile team recently did an eye camp in Badakhshan province of northern Afghanistan. The team was touched by the great need of the people. Health care is not readily available and so people walk for hours or days to find treatment. The team was grateful to be able to help the people even though they had to walk for hours because their car was stuck in the mud due to flooding in the region. 

In the Ashkashim district, in the village of Bazgir, lives a five-year-old boy by the name of Ahmad Zai. His parents had three daughters before him and had high hopes for him. The family was very happy when their son was safely delivered in their home by an elderly lady. In remote areas of the country it is common for an elderly lady to deliver babies because of a lack of health facilities or trained midwives. But the time came, when the boy was two, that the family noticed he had a white spot on the center of both of his eyes. The family took him to the person in the village who practiced folk medicine and made a lot of traditional medicine for him, but it did not help him.

In May 2009, SERVE and AKHS decided to do an eye camp for the Ashkashim district to provide eye care services for this poor and marginalized people who are very far from health facilities such as eye care. Our MST (Mobile Screening Team) went to the Bazger village on the 4th of May 2009 and did screening and found that Ahmad Zai suffered from congenital cataracts that he had from birth. The MST team referred the child to the MOT (Mobile Operation Team) to perform surgery on one of his eyes. After the surgery, the boy opened his eye and was very surprised that he could see. He pointed to the light and asked, “What is that?” And he pointed to a pen and other objects and asked what they were. His parents had tears in their eyes from happiness and prayed for the two organisations for providing eye care for the poor and marginalised community. They said: “It is a miracle for our child to see this world for the first time since his birth!”

 

AuthorSERVE Afghanistan | Comments Off |
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Monday
15Jun

Gayle Williams 

DateMonday, June 15, 2009 at 6:10PM

Gayle was not a woman who thought of herself. Her time and energy were always spent on behalf of others. She spent many years caring one to one for severely special needs students, but in the last few years she made the brave decision to offer her skills and time to care for the many disabled and disadvantaged in Afghanistan as a volunteer. Gayle worked for nearly two years in Kandahar and Kabul directing projects to integrate the disabled into mainstream education and provide them with opportunities for a better life. She never spoke of the rigours and privations of aid work in Kandahar, one of the most difficult places for a young woman to work in the world, but she kept a smile on her face and always had a good humoured chuckle at the difficulties she must have endured.

As a British South African Gayle had the plucky adventurous spirit of the country she loved so much. Accustomed to the risks of South Africa today, the dangers of the Afghan warzone did not phase her, but she pressed on. A highly trained fitness instructor, Gayle was never happier than climbing a mountain, playing sports or going for a run.

Gayle was a loving daughter and sister and a devoted friend to many. She was always so fun to be with and laughter and jokes came easily as we would sit having coffee. People were so important to Gayle; she cared deeply for her friends and family and would always go out of her way to help and support her loved ones.

Gayle will be remembered as one of the inspiring people of the world who truly put others before herself. She was killed violently while caring for the most forgotten people in the world; the poor and the disabled. She herself would not regret taking the risk of working in Afghanistan. She was where she wanted to be – holding out a helping hand to those in need.

C & E

08:00, Monday, October 20 2008, Kabul, Afghanistan, Gayle Williams, 34 years old, one of the women workers of the SERVE Afghanistan team, a joint South African UK national, was walking to work. Gayle was shot and killed shortly before she was due to arrive at the office. Reports say that two men on a motorcycle shot her and then fled the scene. She died almost immediately. She was a person who always loved the Afghans and was dedicated to serving those who are disabled. Needless to say we were all in shock.

 

AuthorSERVE Afghanistan | Comments Off |
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