Lucky Aziken is a 2018 alumnus of the Mandela Washington Fellowship at the Presidential Precinct, currently based in southern Nigeria.
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My name is Lucky Aziken, a visionary Optometrist working to create a world where quality eye care is available everywhere. I am the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Vision Care Givers International; a frontline nonprofit with the vision of taking quality, efficient, and sustainable eye health to all Nations of the World.
During the 2018 Africa Ideas Summit, organized by the Presidential Precinct at the end of the Mandela Washington Fellowship, I presented an ignite talk titled “Prevent Blindness Africa; a dream to tackle the greatest barriers to eye health in the Continent.”
It did not take long for this idea to take shape. Shortly after the Fellowship, Jacques Baeni and I decided to begin the process of preventing blindness in Dzaleka refugee camp in Malawi; a home for over 40,000 refugees from five different nations (Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Somalia).
What started as a short presentation soon became a huge project attracting many collaborators. Jacques and I connected with Bonface Massah, our fellow Precinct alumnus based in Malawi. This country, most famously known as “the warm heart of Africa”, received the warm hands of three Presidential Precinct Mandela Washington Fellows, together offering much needed medical care, skills training, and awareness creation for albinism.
Jacques and I coordinated the healthcare portion of our mission in partnership with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). With approval from the Malawi Medical Council and the Ministry of Health, we provided access to quality eye care for refugees and Other Malawians.
Bonface, as President of the Association of Persons with Albinism in Malawi, created awareness for those living with albinism in the camp and sunscreens were distributed to them free of charge.
We were also accompanied by a peer collaborator that we met during the YALI program. Austin Goodwill of the Creative Global Network, Charlottesville, USA provided leadership training for a vast number of youths especially students in secondary school.
Our Impact
We provided free comprehensive eye examination to 545 refugees in Dzaleka (230 Males and 315 Females); with over 80% of the patients seen having their first eye examination from a doctor. Services provided included blood pressure assessment, visual acuity testing, external eye examination, ophthalmoscopy, retinoscopy, subjective refraction, near refraction, tonometry, drug prescription, ophthalmic lens and frame dispensing, and counseling.
We also distributed 1250 reading glasses to all those with Presbyopia; a donation from the Lions Clubs International.
Both for the patients that we treated and those of us who served, the impact of this project was beyond words. For many of the individuals we worked with, this was their first-ever eye examination! In a majority of cases, we were able to help manage conditions that would otherwise result in preventable blindness.
This little baby had an eroding corneal ulcer that had lasted for over 3 weeks. At presentation, eyelids were permanently shut with severe pain and discomfort. Parents and siblings appear helpless. It was indeed a hand of hope for them as we professionally ended the 3 weeks agony. The condition had the possibility of making the baby blind if no urgent care was initiated.
Here is the baby after 5 days of treatment. Eyes completely open without a scar!
We also provided prescription, special order lenses for 8 students whose defective vision have significantly affected their work at school. See here five out of the eight students after collecting their prescription glasses amidst great joy.
All those with Albinism in the camp enjoyed the hands of Hope from the Association of Persons with Albinism in Malawi. It was a time of support and awareness. Sunscreens were distributed free of charge to all of them.
Our special thanks to the numerous collaborators that made this project a huge success: IREX, USAID, UNHCR, Lions Club International, Florida Africa Foundation, Jefferson Heritage Foundation, the Presidential Precinct, and many other individuals too numerous to mention. For us, and for Malawi, this project truly unlocked the power of partnerships. I encourage those of you reading this to consider your networks and how you might do the same.
