Giving Back
Mark Wevill is from Africa. He decided to dedicate his career to correcting vision because as a young surgeon in a rural African eye hospital he saw how overjoyed blind patients were when their sight was restored after their cataract surgery. The disabled were enabled & the dependent became independent.
Over the last 20 years he has contributed to eye care in many African countries & is presently supporting Destiny Medical Centre in Uganda, is on the International Advisory board of Medical Missions Eswatini, is on the surgeon training faculty of the Community Eye Health Institute of the University of Cape town & is on the Charity Committee of the European Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS).
Destiny Medical Centre, WAKISO, UGANDA
There are only 35 ophthalmologists in Uganda (population 49 million). And 2.3 million people have correctable, uncorrected visual impairment.
Mark Wevill is helping to set up the Destiny Medical Centre Eye Clinic in Wakiso, Uganda where eye examinations can be done & glasses dispensed locally. Eye care will be affordable, available & accessible. And outreach clinics will take eye care to remote communities.
MEDICAL MISSIONS, Eswatini, Southern Africa
Mark Wevill is on the International Advisory Board of Medical Missions Eswatini (MME) based in the remote mountains of eastern Eswatini (previously Swaziland). MME provides effective, equitable & accessible eye & healthcare to the poor in remote communities in Eswatini & Southern Africa.
The dedicated MME team has transformed lives with support from individuals like us, CBM International, the Lions, Rotary, the Eswatini Government, the World Health Organisation & the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness.
UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN - COMMUNITY EYE HEALTH INSTITUTE
UCT-CEHI was established to build capacity in public eye health services in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA). In 2019 the CEHI Simulated Ophthalmic Surgery (SOS) training laboratory was launched.
Many SSA surgeons & others from low & middle income countries elsewhere in the world have benefitted from SOS laboratory training courses modelled on the Royal College of Ophthalmologists surgeon training course. Mark is one of the surgeon trainers.
The story of Titus:
Titus lives in a remote village in the Lebombo mountains of Eswatini. He & his wife were blinded by cataracts. His daughter runs a small shop so she couldn’t care for him all day. His 14 year old grandson was herding Titus’ goats but his schooling was being affected. When Titus’ vision deteriorated further he couldn’t plant his crops & was facing a hungry winter. The MME vision assessment team came to his village & a few days later he had sight saving cataract surgery. His wife has had surgery too & now they plant crops, herd goats & feed their chickens. His daughter can focus on her business & his grandson is getting on with his studies. Titus’ life has been changed from dependency to dignity & the whole family’s quality of life has improved.
escrs (european society of cataract & refractive surgeons)
Mark Wevill is on the ESCRS Charity Committee which supports initiatives & organisations dedicated to helping the visually impaired. The Eyes of the World Foundation provides eye care to people of the remote Inhambane province of Mozambique where over 80% of the population lives below the poverty line (£2.60 per day). The Blantyre Institute for Community Outreach, the Ridley Foundation & the St John Eye Hospital do similar work in Malawi, Nepal, & Gaza & East Jerusalem. And the ESCRS supports other projects which help the blind to see including The Community Eye Health Institute of the University of Cape Town. Read more in the ESCRS Eurotimes publication.
YOU CAN ALSO HELP:
“Vula amehlo” means open your eyes. A basic cataract operation only costs £35 in Eswatini with MME. Or donate to DMC & help a scholar see the blackboard at school. How many visually impaired Ugandans or Swazi’s (like Titus) could you help?
If you have surgery with us in Birmingham & you make a donation to Destiny Medical Centre or Vula Amehlo, we’ll match your donation. Together we can help people see again.
