Optometrist Derk-Jan te Kiefte from Dinxperlo and his wife Christien decided to do something about this eight years ago. During their visits to Uganda in 2017 and 2019, they met Michael, a young man from Ndegeya with a great motivation to help his community. They trained him to perform simple eye tests so that he can help his fellow villagers to better vision. In the meantime, Michael has not only been trained as an eye care professional, but he has also completed his nursing training and works as a nurse in our clinic. In addition, he is now studying nursing at a higher professional education level. His involvement and network are invaluable to the eye care program in Ndegeya.
Michael performs eye measurements on people in the village, but also at primary schools and even at a school for the deaf in the area.
When there are more serious problems, he refers people to the local hospital or arranges for them to have access to specialized care in the capital Kampala. Thanks to his network, people can also benefit from free cataract operations performed by ophthalmologists from America and Europe.
