![Patients awaiting eye surgery at Rumbek State Hospital. [Photo by Sudans Post]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sudanspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IMG_20240514_120002_510.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&quality=89&ssl=1)
The campaigns, organized by the Catholic Diocese of Wau with support from Germany through the German Embassy in South Sudan and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the South Sudan Red Cross, Cure Blindness, and State Ministries of Health, provided care in Lakes State (Mapuordit) and Northern Bahr El Ghazal (Aweil).
“The German support for the Eye Care Campaigns has provided high-quality care to people with vision impairments, including the blind,” the embassy said in a statement.
Local medical professionals, working with international experts, screened 13,000 individuals for eye conditions, treated nearly 10,000 people for conditions like infections, allergic reactions, and glaucoma, and performed over 2,650 cataract surgeries, restoring sight to those living with blindness. “Over 2,000 [surgeries] in Aweil and over 650 in Mapuordit,” the statement noted.
The embassy highlighted the impact of vision impairment and blindness in South Sudan, affecting over 1.1 million people, with nearly 100,000 living in complete blindness.
“For those impacted, the effects are profound: They are limiting access to education, livelihoods, and independence while deepening poverty within families,” the statement said.
The campaigns addressed challenges posed by “poor infrastructure, limited healthcare services, and widespread poverty,” which have hindered access to treatment, particularly in rural areas.
The embassy added that the initiatives have enabled “children to return to school, parents to provide for their families, and individuals to re-engage with their communities – ushering in a new chapter of dignity, productivity, and hope.” The campaigns also extended care to refugees.
GIZ, working on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, is involved in the projects.
Germany supports South Sudan’s development in areas such as local governance, rural development, sustainable agriculture, improved water and sanitation, peacebuilding, promoting gender equality, and SGBV prevention.
