Meet the ten-year-old boy living in Buyenzi, one of the popular suburbs in Bujumbura. Since birth, Rwan has been struggling with his vision. He had only some peripheral vision in his right eye which was later blinded.

His parents, relying on small businesses earnings, could not take him to a hospital for screening simply because they were unable to afford consultation. When he was 9 years old, he was had to drop out of school because he was steadily losing his sight. “He would get too close to the blackboard to try and see but at the end he wouldn’t be able to see much. When asked to copy, he could not see what was in front of him. This greatly affected his school progress.” said his father.

When a relative finally helped his parents to go for eye screening, Rwan was diagnosed with cataract in his right eye.

Thanks to the CTSOE center, he was scheduled for free cataract surgery. After he got the surgery, Rwan could see and the family regained hope. His father, Juma, could not hide his joy. “I hope my son will be able to go on with his studies and have a bright future”, he said adding that he can’t thank the center enough for this charitable deed.