The story of 300 eyes traveling to the light

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The IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation is this time on the road to Togo after Benin to take the light to eyes and joy to hearts as part of a campaign launched with the slogan “If You Help They will See” to perform 100,000 cataract operations.

On the road to Togo
We are in Africa, where we heard that 20 million people have sight problems and another 10 million live in the darkness in the continent with a population 672 million. We further learnt that the number of cataract victims, who couldn’t afford 100 new Turkish liras operation cost and therefore were living in the darkness, was about five million. We tried to put ourselves into their shoes and walk for a short time with closed eyes. At that moment we realized that eyes are, as Prophet Muhammad described, “the most-loved twin.” They are inevitable to a good life.
We set out for a nine-hour Togo journey with my dear brother Taylan Çetin having taken with us help and prayers of the Turkish philanthropic, who are heirs to a civilization that stood on the culture of foundation. We were excited to be the first IHH officials to visit Togo.
We were not surprised by people whom we met during the journey bringing up Turkish presidential elections. Thanks to advancement in communication means, people now follow developments worldwide online.
We got to the Togolese capital Lome at 1.10 a.m. Two people from our partner organization in Togo completed our visa proceedings. After a short travel in a humid and hot weather we got our hotel where we could rest for a few hours. When hotel officials failed to start the air conditioner, they brought a technician to fix it after midnight.
The following day, we set out from the capital city of Lome located in southernmost end of the country, which is reminiscent of a rectangle with 68x670 kilometers dimension, to Dapaong located in the northernmost end. There is only one highway that lies south-to-north across the country. Major cities have airports but domestic flights are not available. However, one can hire private planes with $3,000 to fly from the south to the north. From the city of Kara northwards only highway transportation is available. A railway connects Kara to the south. Trucks and tractor-trailers that had broken down on the road sides caught our sight. Teenager drivers hadn’t forgotten to put a few large leaves on the road as a warning before setting to repair work.
Togolese villagers use banks of two-lane highways to dry their grains. Pedestrians also prefer to use highway banks to travel. The fact that children, women and the old individually or in groups travel along highway banks both during the day and the night shows that there are very few security problems in the country. Students in the cream color uniforms also use highway banks to get to their schools.

As one travel from the ocean to the north the species and height of trees change. The 37 percent of the country’s lands are cultivable but there is not enough machinery and qualified work force to cultivate these lands.
In each new city, we are informed about the city and its residents by our guide. People usually categorize cities according to their religious density. We learnt that Muslims constitute 100 percent of the populations of Bafilo and Sokode. Other cities also host large numbers of Muslims. The Muslims population is expected to be between 35-45 percent in Lome. Although, there are no official figures, Muslims are estimated to constitute over 35 percent of the whole population. Western sources states Muslim population below 20 percent. Followers of indigenous religions are in minority compared to Muslims and Christians.
Throughout our journey from the south to the north of the country, we passed through dozens of cities, including 13 large ones. What attracted our attention most in these cities was the large number of mosques. These small mosques, except for several large ones, with African-style minarets are symbols of the country’s Islamic heritage. Most of the mosques have been built by foreign charities.

Little orphans surprise us

A surprise was waiting for us in the city of Bafilo. We were invited to a program held at the orphanage that was built and managed by our partner organization the Africa Muslim Council. We were met with marches by the council’s West Africa representative, Togo head, other officials and orphans in green uniforms. We were moved by greeting scouts, welcome messages written in local languages and French, hymns and takbirs chanted in chorus. The school, which offers high school education to 250 orphans, has the highest educational and physical facilities. Maybe if this school didn’t exist, these orphans wouldn’t have present opportunities. Thanks to help of benevolent people, they don’t feel like orphans just like Harun, who talked about the Moroccan school manager, “My father is the school manager. He treats me better than a father. ”We were enchanted by a Muhaddis-nicknamed orphan reading the Prophet’s sayings by heart. We presented gifts to orphans after the program.

The poorest region in the country

We resumed our journey at the night accompanied by a guard from the security department. At midnight we reached Dapaong, the first stop of our program. When we got to the hotel, we saw the power has gone off and water wasn’t running.
Dapaong is the regional capital of Des Savanes Region. This is the poorest region of the country. People living in villages are in more difficult conditions. There is only one hospital in the city with a population of 261,000 people. There is no gynecologist in the hospital where nine doctors work. Head Physician Edorh Hokameto noted a striking finding after counting health problems of the region: “In this hospital, which was built by Spain, there are numerous medical tools, but we don’t have any qualified personnel to use them. We request from you to help us sending our doctors to Turkish university hospitals to be trained.” We witnessed what the head physician had told us. There are thousands of cataract victims to be operated, while there is none that can use FAKO machine in the hospital.

The 30 percent of the Dapaong population is Muslim. In the near past the percentage was less than 10. There are two factors that helped the spread of Islam in the region so fast. The first one is the settlement of Muslim tribes in the region. Particularly Hawsa, Kotoli, Fulata and Fulani tribes had great impact on the Islamisation of the region. Fulani tribe is claimed to be of Arab origin. However, we learnt that more people from local Moba tribe, which is originally follower of local religion, have converted to Islam. The second factor is Islamic non-governmental organizations operating in the region and Togo in general. These are mainly foreign NGOs. There are very few Togolese NGOs.

Inauguration ceremony for cataract operations
After a Pakistani breakfast in the morning, we went to the hospital to attend inauguration ceremony for cataract operations. The ceremony drew a huge turnout. The Dapaong governor, the mayor, head imam of the region, President of Dapaong Muslim Union, Togo representatives of Rabitatu al-Alemi al-Islami, head physicians of the hospital and the cataract team, West Africa and Togo representatives of the Africa Muslim Agency, religious leaders of the region and about 3,000 locals who had come to undergo eye examination attended the inauguration ceremony.

First examinations

The Cataract team included a head physician, an assistant, three senior oculists, there assistant oculists, nine technicians, IHH organizers, five NGO representatives and a number of commissioned youngsters.
Thousands of patients traversing long distances formed queues in front of the hospital to have their eyes examined early in the morning. The completely blind patients were brought to the hospital by their relatives. Patients that would undergo cataract operation were singled out, while the others were given antibiotic eye drop, ointment, anti-allergic medication, vitamin A, presbyopia and global spectacles. Those who would be operated on were accommodated in the hospital till the following day. Their eating and other expenses were met by the IHH. The patients, who were attached numbers on the collar and given examination reports, spent their last days in the darkness by chatting with their friends.

Operations

On the third day, technicians went to the hospital early to prepare the operating room. Microscopes were placed and necessary lounges and other medical tools were prepared. Then patients formed queues in front of the operating room. Each patient was given disinfected clothes. The operating room was sterilized thoroughly. Patients with diabetes, hypertension, infection and other risky ailments were not allowed into the operating room. The adult patients were implemented anesthesia on the eyes and face, while global anesthesia was implemented on children. Six patients were operated on at the same time in the operating room. Malfunctioning lenses were replaced with new ones. Each operation took about 10 to 15 minutes. The eyes of the patients who underwent operation were wrapped with bandages. Patients were made to lie on the back for a while so that lenses would not shift.

The moment eyes meet the light

On the morning of the fourth day, we were as excited as patients. It was time for the bandages to be removed and glorifying God for removing curtains from the eyes. The patients who were operated on first thanked God for granting the light and then to the people who helped to get the opportunity to see the light. After the removal of bandages, patients were examined and were given eye drops to avoid bacterial infections. Uncles and aunts, who were looking in the different directions while talking to each other until a few days ago, were looking into each others’ eyes. Not only their faces but also their eyes were smiling. They shared their happiness with the relatives waiting outside the hospital. Those people who had a blurry vision or none at all could observe the Earth through their own eyes. To avoid any likely problem, patients were asked to come for examination after the fist week and the sixth week.
“May God perpetuate the light of their eyes!”
The eyes brought to the light watered when the saw IHH representatives wishing “Sofalafiye!” (Get well soon!). If those tears could speak they would most probably say: “You are the descendants of the Ottomans whose caliph we prayed for and delivered Friday sermon in his name. We thought you had forgotten us, but you haven’t. Our eyes had got accustomed to the whites with cross and Bible. You honored us. You brought both our eyes and hearts to the light.”
It wasn’t so easy to depart. They didn’t want us to leave, saying “We love you. Don’t go.” They all were praying for the benevolent people who sent help for the operations. “Give them our greetings. May God perpetuate the light of their eyes; never inflict disease on them and their cherished children,” they wished.

Hudanur

She was trembling like a small bird when she was brought to hospital. One would surely wonder how many times she faced a danger of life. Though at the age of seven, she looked as if she was never born. She never had a chance to see her parents. The mother was eagerly waiting for the moment when her daughter could look her directly in her eyes. Hudanur recovered from cataract after a successful operation on her eyes. She was also greatly delighted at having gifts from the IHH officials there.

Ayse

Ayse is 13 years old. She is yet studying as a Grade 6 student at a primary school. Since her early childhood, she has had a visual problem with her right eye. Constant itch and pain caused relentless tears. The family brought Ayse all the way to the city of Dapaong, some 50 km away from her village, to receive medical help from the IHH team. She could easily see with both of her eyes one day after the surgery.

Abailouj

Abailouj, a 19 year-old high school student, said unhappily that he felt only a half of his brain worked as one of his eyes had a defect. He would have lost his power of sight completely if he had not had the chance to get medical help from us. Words will only fail us to describe the moment of sheer joy we all felt when we saw him at school just one day after he had the cataract operation.

Time to return home
We had sentimental moments at the meal organized in our honor by the Togo Muslims Council on our last day in Dapaong. Speaking after the meal, Governor Lare Pakindam delivered significant messages: “I received telephone calls from all cities around here to thank you. You came here despite hot weathers and hard conditions. You know from the Quran that God never forgets what you have done for people. People’s thanks are insignificant compared with God’s promise. None of us knows where Turkey is located. However, you came here to help needy people in return for God’s approval not for trading or in return for any other interest. May God help you get safely to your country just as you came here safely. I thank the IHH and its volunteers who, acting by the principle “The best of people is he who benefits others most,” help all human beings without discriminating against their color, language and religion.”

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Afrikadan haber var Afrika katarakt günlüğü

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