Page 19 - 2016 Annual Report

15

INVESTING IN PEOPLE |

CASE STUDY: KENYA

MERCY’S STORY

“I get emotional when I see parents
weeping at the mention of their children
being blind due to cataracts,” said Mercy
Mbayi. Mercy works as a nurse at the
Sabatia Eye Hospital in Kenya, where
staff restore sight to more than 100
people a week. As a mother of six, she
can empathise with their situation and
often carries children in her arms to
and from the theatre while reassuring
anxious parents.
Mercy regularly travels hundreds of
kilometres as part of the hospital’s
community outreach screening team
which identifies and refers patients for
treatment. She also trains Ophthalmic
Nurse Assistant students who are
supported by The Fred Hollows
Foundation during their three month
placement at the hospital.
Mercy’s passion for her work is evident
in everything she does. “It brings me joy
when I see children receive their sight
back. It is definitely a new beginning for
the family and the entire community.
It’s hard to explain how wonderful that
is to watch.”