The story of Anass, a young boy battling Glaucoma and Strabismus in Kassala, Sudan.
Anass has suffered from damaged eyesight for his entire 10-year-old life. Although the local clinic in East Sudan had been giving him medication, the situation worsened over the years and his eyesight was quickly deteriorating. When his parents received the news that he would completely lose all vision permanently, they were devastated, as Anass is their only child. His family is incredibly poor, the local clinic didn’t have an eye specialist, and they learned the closest facility that could complete the necessary surgery was in Egypt. They desperately wanted to get this surgery done for Anass, to save his vison, but sadly knew there was no way they could achieve this on their own. The travel costs, visas, and surgery was more money than they could raise without support.
Anass’s family came to ARAHA looking for resources and we immediately acted. We could not have been prouder of our donors; in only 2 days we were able to raise over $5,000!
Because our supporters answered our call swiftly and generously, we were able to report back that we could cover the whole trip and surgery. Anass’s mother burst into tears, her gratitude was beyond words. For a boy to lose his eyesight permanently at such an early age would have meant a lifetime of struggle and poverty.
Omar, a ARAHA team member, took the family to the airport in Khartoum to begin their journey to Egypt for this life changing surgery.
We are happy to report that the surgery was successful! The doctors were able to repair the damage to Anass’s optic nerve and he is expected to make a full recovery and regain his eyesight. We are so grateful to our kind and generous donors who made this possible. Your immediate response was inspiring.
If you ever feel like you can’t make a difference in this overwhelming world, remember the impact you made on one child in need. You can improve someone’s life, like Anass, and give them a chance for a brighter future of opportunities.