By 2003 MEAK was being recognised as an organisation that is able to bring relieving health care to significant numbers of needy people. Due to poverty, treatment would not have been available to them and MEAK needed to be able to supply the required services in a extremely cost-effective manner. MEAK was approached by the Kwale District Eye Centre and asked if we would co-operate in the organisation of outreach missions to remote areas, bringing free eye surgery to blind people.

Blindness in Kenya is 10 times more common than in the Western world, with large numbers of people with conditions that could be easily reversed for low cost. For example, large numbers of children become blind due to a simple vitamin A deficiency in their formative years. Teaching awareness of this avoidable condition was considered vital.

It was decided that our first eye mission should be made to Turkana. This is a very remote region in North West Kenya where there are a large number of subsistence farmers and herders, which is seriously under-resourced with regard to ophthalmic healthcare. It was also just about the most difficult area to reach, and consequently we took the view that we should ‘do the hard one first!'

The trip was a resounding success with 430 consultations and 87 surgical procedures completed. Distressingly, people were still arriving as we were boarding our plane to leave.

It was immediately agreed that further MEAK eye missions should be arranged to that area. A second mission was carried out 12 months later, examining 519 patients and carrying out 183 procedures. As some of the patients had walked up to 100km to reach the hospital, it also became apparent that providing food to these long distance travellers would be an imperative. MEAK therefore carried 250 kg of maize meal, beans and lentils to feed these patients on their arrival!

The first trip highlighted the difficulty of de-mounting the operating microscope from Kwale District Eye Centre's theatre and transporting this bulky piece of equipment to remote areas. It was obvious that a specialist mobile operating microscope would be required if further MEAK outreach missions were to be considered.

Fortunately a generous donor came to our rescue again and paid for the purchase of this piece of equipment, which is now permanently on loan to KDEC. MEAK is now planning to take eye missions to various parts of Kenya with four additional trips arranged for 2004. We see these missions and the training of local community volunteers, who will go on to recognise and advise regarding blindness, as a major part of MEAK's future works in this country.