A faith-based organization, Indeed Truth Church, in collaboration with doctors from Samaritan’s Purse International Relief, organized a week-long ophthalmologic surgery camp to correct blindness in Tonj South County, Warrap State.
The Warrap State health minister, Abak Yel Madoot, revealed that the church-based hospital in Tonj South County operated over 300 patients from across the Bahr el Ghazal region who were suffering from various degrees of blindness.
“The government of Warrap state is thankful to Indeed and Truth church for supporting communities and restoring the sight of vulnerable people,” Minister Yel said. “They started last Sunday and will continue till next Sunday. They operated seventy people and they were excited to be able to see each other.”
The field director of Indeed Truth Church, Peter Dut, said the team of ophthalmologists came from the United States and Kenya for the fifth round of operations in Tonj South and have about 400 people as of Thursday.
“We have the team of opticians headed by Samaritan’s Purse and they came from USA and Kenya to operate our people with sight problems,” Dut said. “The doctors started their work on Sunday and operated 70 people that day. Today (Thursday) the number of people operated for these five days is over 300 and they still operating.”
He added: “We have people with eye problems who came from neighboring states like Aweil, Wau, Rumbek, and the majority are from Warrap here. They are happy and celebrate every day because they can see again.”
One elderly woman made people laugh when she saw her grandchildren for the first time and said, “Is this how you look like my children? I just hear your names but I do not know you physically.”
Awien Agak Bent, the beaming mother of a 5-year-old child who was successfully operated on and could now see said, “these church people have helped my child, he was born blind and today my child managed to walk alone while avoiding stones and trees.”
She said the medical camp had helped her child and a lot of other people who have had their vision restored.