What causes a Cataract?
Excessive dust
Sand storms caused by the Sahara people negatively affect Mali. Dust caused by sand storm harms people’s health. Constant dust exposure scratches the cornea
Prolonged exposure to sunlight
UV light can damage lens proteins in a distinct way (called glycation) that is typically seen in cataract and in cells damaged by oxidative stress.
Malnutrition
Vitamin and mineral deficiencies accelerate vision loss caused by glaucoma, cataracts, and/or macular degeneration.
Cataracts are most commonly found in people 80+ years old, but thousands of children in Africa suffer from the disease due to the extreme climate and lack of vitamins and protein in their diet.
Approximately 2.2 million people suffer from cataracts in Africa, and 800,000+ suffer from the eye disease in Mali alone.
Our Approach
Embrace Relief partners with volunteer doctors and medical professionals to help people who do not have access to adequate healthcare. Volunteer doctors travel to remote, distant villages in Mali to perform cataract surgeries, and administer health check-ups to those who may otherwise never see a doctor in their lifetime.
How Can I HELP?
You can become an Architect of Inspiration Donor with a monthly donation of just $50 – equivalent to going out to dinner for one night. $50 per month will cover the cost of six cataract surgeries and sixty health screenings in a per year. Access to this type of healthcare changes the lives of those who cannot see the faces of their loved ones, wash themselves, eat without being helped, or even navigate around their home.
One cataract surgery costs $100 , which covers the cost of health screenings for ten other people. If the doctors come across an issue that cannot be treated at the Mobile Health Clinic, we provide transportation to the nearest clinic or hospital and help cover medical care costs.
Patient Stories
Mariam Togola / Female / 9
“Two years ago, I began to have blurry vision in my right eye, and it was getting worse every day. I was told that I had cataracts and that if I did not get surgery, I would eventually go blind. This terrified me. I didn’t want to not be able to play, see my friends or family, or live in darkness. Thank you Embrace Relief, I can clearly see the faces of my mom, dad, and little sister again.”
Kaditou Toure / Female / 39
“For years, I was not able to walk on my own, wash myself, or see the faces of my husband and child. Now, I have regained my independence and reclaimed my life! Thank you for showing me kindness. I can now see the beautiful world again and all of it’s colors.”
Abdoulaye Traore / Male / 14
“I remember I began to lose my peripheral vision in my left eye and things got really dark and blurry. Not long after, I could only see shadows and my right eye was starting to hurt from straining it from so much use. I was so happy when I saw the Mobile Health Clinic because I knew they would help me! I can’t wait to see the world with both eyes again. Thank you.”
Embrace Relief’s Mobile Health Clinic
Our Mobile Health Clinic travels with volunteer doctors to remote places in Mali, where people have little to no access to healthcare. This mobile clinic gives certified doctors the capacity to perform up to 30 cataract surgeries and hundreds of health screenings in two days. When the Mobile Health Clinic travels, doctors perform health check-ups on the first day, cataract surgeries on the second, and post-operation check-ups on the third to ensure the eye(s) is healing properly.
Embrace Relief Cataracts Campaign
A cataract, which can occur in either or both eyes, is the clouding of the lens in the eye that affects vision.
Embrace Relief’s cataracts campaign is aimed to provide relief to thousands of people suffering from cataracts in Africa. You can give someone the gift of vision by joining the campaign and receive a certificate with the information and photo of the treated patient. You can even present a gift to your friends or family by making a donation in their name to our cataracts campaign. We will send them a certificate notifying them of the donation. An electronic copy of the certificate will be emailed in 5 days, and the original certificate will be posted within 2 weeks.
Our Impact
Since 2013, our volunteer doctors have performed over 34,000 cataract surgeries, of which, 3,000 were sponsored by our generous donors.
Today, you can give the ultimate gift of sight to someone living in darkness. We currently have 4,000+ people on our Cataract Surgery Waiting List who live in extreme poverty and will not get another chance at seeing this beautiful world again without your generous donation.
