Keep The Faith magazine - Britain's leading publication about Black faith

CBM is an international Christian development organisation, committed to improving the quality of lives of persons with disabilities in the poorest countries of the world. Based on its Christian values and over 100 years of professional expertise, CBM addresses poverty as a cause and a consequence of disability, and works in partnership to create a society for all.

In its work, CBM encounters extraordinary stories of ordinary people, striving to be the best that they can be, whatever their circumstances, just like Isaak Kinshaga.

Life used to be good and full of promise for Isaack, until he started to lose his sight. Everything seemed to be going wrong.

In the twelve months it took for cataracts to steal his vision, Isaack had lost his job, lost his small farm, and was now on the brink of losing his family. No family is perfect, but when you’re living in poverty and surviving from day to day, any promise of money will be hotly contested. It is no different whether you live in Tottenham or Tanzania.

Isaack has five daughters and one son, who were all fighting over a small plot of land that Isaack had been working on since losing his job as a truck driver. He had poured all of his savings into the farm, growing and harvesting maize, cassava and beans to sell at local markets. He worked the land alone - his family didn’t help him as they had grown up and moved away, but they quickly returned when he started to go blind.

Astonishingly, they had not returned to help and care for their father, but to lay claim on his land. Isaack said, “My children didn’t take care of me, and it hurt very much. I was given no food, water or money. They didn’t even take me to the hospital. They thought if I died then they would get the farm and everything I own.” He continues, “My expectation of vision is God’s will, and I will trust in that.”

When Isaack’s youngest daughter found out how he was being treated, she acted straight away. He says, “She was the only one who loved me. She took me in and cared for me and brought me to the hospital.” Her name is Rachel and she clearly loves her father very much. “My father’s problem with his eyes lasted for a whole year. My brother and sisters didn’t help him, so I requested that my father come and live with me as I’m closer to the hospital.”

Isaack was treated at a CBM-funded hospital in Moshi, and after an hour and a half in surgery, was resting comfortably in bed, his sight having been restored.

Rachel had called her brother and sisters and told them their father was in hospital and had received surgery, but no-one came to see him.

Isaack decided to stay with his daughter, and not return to the farm. He says, “You (CBM) have given me my life back, and I am so grateful to you and to God. I leave all my thanks to God, who is my everything.”

Rachel looks over at her father, who is playing with his grandson, smiles graciously and says, “Thanks to CBM for what you’ve done for my father. Without you, none of this would have happened.”

In 2010, CBM performed nearly 750,000 cataract operations to help people regain their sight. In October the same year, it performed the 10 millionth cataract operation. For many, it is too late to save their sight, but in any case, CBM works to integrate people back into their livelihoods, so they can become self-sufficient, and regain their independence and the dignity of earning a living.

This World Sight Day on 17th October, think about what you could do to help someone move out of the darkness and back into the light.

284 million people are visually impaired
Of these, 39 million people are blind, and 245 million have moderate or severe visual impairment
80% of blindness is avoidable
90% of people with visual impairments live in developing countries
Almost 65% of visually-impaired people are over 50 years of age
19 million children are visually-impaired
Just £15 can provide enough Vitamin A capsules to protect the sight of 50 children for six months. An adult cataract operation costs just £20 and £90 for a child.

If you would like a presentation on CBM’s work at your church, please contact us on 01223 484700. CBM church resource packs are available on our website at www.cbmuk.org.uk/churches.

Media toolkit: http://www.cbmarchive.org/?c=326&k=caa1a45b66