Mamite Tukuli, a 45-year-old mother of nine, carried a heavy burden to care for her family. Her youngest daughter, Kortu, 10, had been blind in both eyes for two years, losing her independence and joy. Mamite, too, had lost sight in one eye due to a cataract, but her focus was on Kortu. “I wasn’t worried about my own eye,” Mamite shared. “At least I could see with one. But I worried constantly about my little girl.”
Kortu couldn’t attend school, relied on siblings for basic tasks, and often fell. “She hadn’t started school. She couldn’t do anything by herself. Her sisters and brothers helped her to the toilet, and she fell on the ground so many times. We were all so sad, and we didn’t know what to do,” Mamite said.
Hope arrived when free eye surgeries were announced by the Cure Blindness Project. Mamite’s heart leapt with the possibility that someone could help Kortu.
Under the skilled hands of Dr. Hiwot and the Cure Blindness Project team, Mamite and Kortu underwent successful cataract surgeries. When the bandages came off, Mamite’s vision cleared, and Kortu saw her mother’s face. “She couldn’t smile within these two years,” Mamite said, smiling. “Now she is smiling! Thanks God and all the doctors here.”
