By now, those who are familiar with our portal and the work we do know that one of our occupations (and concerns) for many years has also been social work.
We do not directly manage projects and we do not have any voluntary or solidarity associations, but we are always available to act as a liaison with those who work in a serious and transparent way on the Kenyan territory.
One of the good opportunities is represented by the acquaintances, both gained locally and in Italy, with professionals from various fields who, during their vacation, ask us for the opportunity to lend a hand and offer for a few hours or days their services for the many people in need who do not have the possibility to access certain services. The most striking case is health care.
Public one, as is well known, is disastrous in this country as in all of Africa, and private one is very expensive and only a small part of the population can afford it.
So we are always available, when time and work permits, to take these specialists to make visits to children's centers, former orphanages (now called Children Centers), schools or hospitals.
This is the case in the past few days with doctor Luca Avoni, a nationally renowned ophthalmologist and surgeon, for years director of the Cornea Bank of Emilia Romagna and currently among the best cornea transplantists in Italy and a connoisseur of the most advanced laser techniques for vision correction and cataract operations. (You can visit his website https://www.lucaavoni.com/)
For three days, Dr. Avoni visited children in as many children's homes to provide an initial diagnosis of possible diseases and disease outbreaks that underlie possible future serious vision problems in the very young in Kenya. Childhood cataracts, glaucoma and vision defects that could worsen if not corrected in time.
For some all it would take is a pair of glasses, but without a visit and without the culture and ability to notice by families or caregivers, if neglected these issues can lead to complications.
So here is the testimony of Avoni's first day of visits to Children of the Rising Sun in Msabaha, in malindikenya.net's video and pictures by Leni Frau.