Edina Mboje's Story: A Life Transformed

EDINA MBOJE’s STORY: A Life Transformed

Edina Mboje began having trouble with her vision in 2012.

She and her husband owned a restaurant in a village in central Tanzania and also worked in the fields to support their family. Edina slowly lost her vision and her family was forced to close the restaurant because she was no longer able to work. Her son stayed home from school to help with her basic tasks, and her husband took on the responsibilities of cooking and caring for their children.

After years of searching for treatment, Edina learned about an eye screening camp several kilometers away. This eye screening changed her life. The cause of Edina’s blindness was identified as cataract, and she was transported to Singida Regional Hospital where the local ophthalmologist, Dr. Kuzenza, operated to restore her sight.

The morning after surgery, Edina could see clearly for the first time in years! She could see her husband smiling from across the room. Edina is no longer confined to the house or dependent on family members to help her clean, cook and bathe. The family reopened their restaurant. Edina’s life, and her family’s economic prospects, have been forever transformed.

Through Seva’s local partner in Tanzania, the Kilimanjaro Centre for Community Ophthalmology, Seva has supported Singida Regional Hospital’s Eye Department since 2015. Before this partnership, patients waited months for surgery because the hospital had no access to necessary consumables for surgery. Dr. Kuzenza’s team now conducts weekly outreach trips and nearly 1,000 cataract surgeries annually!