Living with trachoma in a refugee camp

The journey to the camp was not easy. Rebecca explained how many people walked for up to 21 days to get there. Some would try to use buses or motorbikes, but they would often break down.

When Rebecca started to feel pain in her eyes, she decided to travel the long distance – several hours’ walk, sometimes on dangerous, flooded terrain – from the camp to the nearest clinic to have her eyes tested. She explained to the ophthalmologist there that she felt discomfort, especially in reaction to daylight, and that she could feel her eyelashes rubbing against her eyes. She was later diagnosed with trachoma.

A lack of resources in Kakuma means the clinic there does not have a functioning operating theatre. But thanks to Sightsavers and partners as part of the Accelerate programme, surgeons and ophthalmologists are able to come to the camp and do the surgery there. They make the two-hour drive along half-built, often-flooded dirt roads, to bring surgical equipment from Lodwar, the largest town in Northwest Kenya. Once they arrive, the team sets up a makeshift operating theatre, ready to treat the many people waiting for them.

On the day of her operation, despite her arduous journey and the pain in her eyes, Rebecca is first in line for surgery. After less than 30 minutes, she is out of the makeshift theatre and back to her joyful, joking self.

On getting her bandage removed the following day, Rebecca gave us a big thumbs up: “Yes. I am good now.”