In the crowded, bustling refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh – home to over a million Rohingya refugees – 11-year-old Anas is holding on to a dream of being able to see clearly again. But for the past five years, his world has been clouded by cataracts in both eyes.
Anas grew up reading with ease. But slowly, the words became harder to see. He had to hold books close to his face. Playing with friends was difficult. Moving around at night was almost impossible.
“I struggle to read, study, and move around like other children” he said.
His mother, Rabeya, noticed his struggle early on. “I worry his future will be dark if his surgery is not done on time. Who will take care of him after us?” she said.
Life in the world’s largest refugee settlement is hard enough. There are food shortages, gang violence and frequent extreme weather to deal with. But with medical care very hard to access in the camps, Anas’s vision loss brought a new hardship for the family. But after neighbours encouraged Rabeya to seek help, and she attended a community meeting, everything changed.
At the local Orbis-supported vision centre, doctors confirmed that Anas had cataracts in both eyes. They explained he would need surgery to save his sight, but that it could not be provided locally. The cost of seeking treatment far away was another barrier.
Then Orbis stepped in. Everything was arranged, the travel, the surgery, even food for the long journey. Anas received free surgery on his right eye first. The first operation transformed Anas’s life, giving him back the ability to study and play.
“They took us all the way for the operation,” Rabeya recalled. “I couldn’t believe the care we received.”
A few months later, Anas returned for surgery on his left eye, once again with everything provided free of charge. This was all possible thanks to the incredible support of people like you, whose generosity helps children like Anas see clearly, learn, play, and dream of a brighter future.
“With better vision, I will be able to read easily,” Anas said with a smile. “I will also help my mother more. And I will be able to see my friends and loved ones clearly.”
In Cox’s Bazar’s camps, thousands of children live with treatable eye conditions, yet without intervention, they face a lifetime of unnecessary vision loss. For a child like Anas, sight means education, independence, and the chance to fulfil his dreams.
Orbis’s work here, through vision centres and partner hospitals, ensures no child is left behind simply because they were born in the wrong place, without access to care.
Your support can help more children like Anas receive life-changing surgery and the chance to see a brighter future.
For World Sight Day 2025, you can join in Orbis’s iris campaign to create a unique artwork of your eyes and help protect the sight dreams of children like Anas.
