Meet the community health workers bringing eye care to remote Kenya

Reaching people where they live

In Kenya’s Kwale County, community health workers Saidi and Robert play a vital role in helping people access the eye health services they need.

Working with Kwale Eye Centre, the pair travel by motorcycle to reach remote communities, conducting screenings, raising awareness and connecting people with care closer to home.

For Saidi, the trust built with the community is a source of pride.

Photo credit: Daniel Jesus Vignolli

"The community has established a strong level of trust in me – they refer to me as daktari wa wacho, which translates as 'eye doctor'."

 

"This title fills me with a profound sense of pride."

Building trust through community care

Robert has spent 25 years working as a community health worker at Kwale Eye Centre. For him, the most rewarding part of his role is seeing children regain their vision and reach their potential.

Photo credit: Daniel Jesus Vignolli

"When they see me they are very happy. They say, ‘if not for you, I would have been blind. You saved me. Now that I can see, I can work.’"

 

"They really encourage me. I feel lucky assisting the community."

Kwale Eye Centre community health worker Robert identified Jira during a community outreach visit, connecting him with the eye care he needed. With support from The Fred Hollows Foundation and the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP), Jira was able to access treatment and continue his education.

Photo credit: Mark Maina

Overcoming barriers to eye health care

Many people living in Kwale County face barriers accessing timely eye health care. For some families, travelling to an eye centre or paying for transport can be difficult.

With support from The Fred Hollows Foundation and the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP), Kwale Eye Centre works with community health workers to deliver eye health services closer to where people live.

Robert explains that many families prioritise essential needs such as food and school fees, making community outreach even more important.

"In the community I’m working in, sometimes the children cannot come here (to the eye centre) because the family doesn’t have money."

Community health workers play a vital role in identifying people who need eye care and connecting them with treatment. In Kenya, one community health worker helped connect Manyeso and her children with cataract surgery, giving them the chance to see clearly and return to school.

Photo credit: Mark Maina

Creating awareness and finding solutions together

A key part of Saidi and Robert’s work is building relationships with community members and encouraging people to seek medical care when they experience eye problems.

"The most important thing for me is creating the awareness — going to the schools, doing the screenings and being friendly with the community."

 

"You have to be very open so when you are friendly with them they want to highlight their problems. We share the problems together and solve the problems together."