Being teased every day at school because of how you look is something no one should have to go through. Yet for Netsanet, a nine-year-old girl in Ethiopia, this was her heartbreaking reality. But thanks to the compassion of supporters like you, her life has improved.
Netsanet, a nine-year-old girl from Hawassa, Ethiopia, was just three months old when her mother noticed her eyes were often looking in different directions. This affected Netsanet’s quality of vision and made her a target of bullying, which she found very upsetting.
Her parents desperately searched for help, but they couldn’t find the right care to help with her undiagnosed condition. As Netsanet grew up, her misaligned eyes affected her both physically and emotionally.
“The kids would make fun of her all the time, and she would usually cry and worry about it”Netsanet's father
Netsanet getting screened by Dr. Andrew Choyce. Here she was waiting for her strabismus surgery, which was successful. The surgery Netsanet was able to have, is all thanks to you.
One day, Netsanet’s father heard about Orbis coming to Hawassa on the radio. He took her to the Orbis-supported hospital, where she was screened by Orbis Volunteer eye care experts. The doctors diagnosed her with strabismus and recommended surgery. Strabismus is a condition where the eyes don’t align properly. If untreated, it can lead to vision problems or even blindness, making early treatment crucial, especially in children.
But thanks to generosity like yours, Netsanet received life-changing surgery early enough to restore her vision. She is now looking forward to a future free from the pain of bullying, and the joy of sight.
Your support can help continue to make sure more children like Netsanet will continue to have this access to eyecare.
When Orbis arrived in Hawassa, there were no specialists to treat children like Netsanet. That changed thanks to volunteer experts Dr. Daniel Neely and Dr. Andrew Choyce.
Five Days of Hands-On Training
Over just five days, local doctors and medical staff learned the skills to treat strabismus. This training ensures that children in Hawassa will continue to receive care long after the Orbis team has left.
Who the Training Supported
In total, three eye doctors and ten anaesthesia staff received practical training, while six junior doctor's residents were able to observe and learn.
“It’s not just delivering direct care of people and patients; it is [about] creating a skill that can be replicated and that becomes magnified at this exponential effect. We might operate on twenty-five people this week but if we teach [local providers] to do what we are doing this week then they may go to operate on five hundred or a thousand patients with the same condition”Dr Daniel Neely
By supporting Orbis, you're not just providing medical care - you’re helping communities to stand on their own. Netsanet's story shows us the life-changing impact your help can have, giving children the chance to see a brighter future.
But we can't stop here. We need your urgent support to ensure that more children like Netsanet receive the care they desperately need. Together, we can equip communities like Hawassa to build a future where healthy vision is within reach for all. Act now - your generosity can make all the difference.
Orbis visited Netsanet in a follow up, she was full of smiles and her happiness was so contagious, the Orbis team were smiling all day during their visit.
