"We Are Back."

"Yes. We are back."  These are the words with which Francis Ole Sempele greets Nyaruai Matai in Keew, southern Sudan.  Franscis is Christian Mission Aid's (CMA) eye surgeon in southern Sudan, and he is welcomed with great excitement by 60-yr-old Nyaruai. She grips his hand and firmly shakes it, exclaiming,  "Eh, eh, you have come! You have come!"  Francis has just landed in an MAF plane on a bumpy, muddy airstrip in remote Keew, southern Sudan. It is the first time Nyaruai has seen a plane - in fact, until recently, Nyaruai could not see anything at all . . .

Living in Darkness

Nyaruai became completely blind from bilateral cataract.  She was totally dependent for everything - even mobility.  Her daughter cared for Nyaruai, as she could not cook, fetch water or tend her garden.  For 4 long years, Nyaruai lived in darkness and depression. 

Mobile Eye Unit

Working in partnership with Dark and Light, CMA operates a Comprehensive Eye Services (CES) mobile unit in Upper Nile area. Here, eye diseases are treated, and cataract and trachoma surgeries are undertaken. Cataract is the leading cause of blindness in Sudan (39.2%) followed by trachoma (37.3%). Through the mobile eye unit, CMA and Dark and Light have restored the precious gift of sight to hundreds of sufferers in southern Sudan. Rotating from location to location in the Upper Nile area, the team promotes eye-care and trains Sudanese nationals in the work, as well as training them to perform cataract and trachoma surgery. For many like Nyaruai, the CES mobile unit has become a visible icon of hope.

Three-Month Trek on Foot

Nyaruai arrived at the CMA health-care unit in Keew, where the CES team was conducting cataract and trachoma surgeries.  She had traveled on foot, passing through swamps and mosquito-infested forests - a journey which took the 60-yr-old a long, tiring 3 months!  The arduous trek was well worth it for Nyaruai, who soon had an operation on her right eye. What joy when she woke up to discover she could see!  Once her left eye is operated on, Nyaruai will have full eyesight restored. "I can now cook, grind, fetch water and I've been preparing my garden," she smiles.

"It was you who operated on my eye," Nyaruai says to Francis. "I have come to have this other one operated on."  She watches the MAF plane on which Francis arrived as it prepares to take off.  Five months ago, she had no idea what a plane looked like.  Now, thanks to Dark and Light and CMA, Nyaruai can see the plane that helped to restore her eyes.  MAF provides the transport for CMA's work in Keew, and considers it a privilege to serve this wide-range ministry.