Jira's Story

Three years ago, Jira was excited to start school.

Like many children his age, the seven-year-old from Kenya’s Kwale County was eager to learn, make friends and build a brighter future. But not long after starting classes, Jira was sent home because he was struggling to see.

Since then, he has missed three years of school.

A world losing focus

Today, Jira spends most of his time on a remote patch of land with his younger sister, Luvono. The family live far from essential services and accessing health care is incredibly difficult. Walking is their only option, with narrow dirt tracks winding through thick thorny bushes for hours before they reach the nearest town.

Photo credit: Mark Maina

As Jira’s vision worsened, his world became smaller.

Luvono now guides her older brother around, helping him navigate places he can no longer see clearly. Unable to attend school or play like other children, Jira spends much of his day sitting outside their home making marbles and toy cars from clay mixed with dirt and water.

They are the only toys he has.

For Jira’s mother, Fatima, each day is focused on survival.

Photo credit: Mark Maina

With nine children to care for while her husband walks long distances to the city of Mombasa to sell produce, finding enough food for the family is a constant challenge.

“When I wake up, usually I go find food for the children. After that, I cook for the household,” Fatima said.

The family survive mostly on maize, milk and local vegetables. Occasionally, they can afford dried fish from the market.

“Whatever we can get on a daily basis is not enough for the whole family. We live with what we are able to get for the day.”

Even when Jira’s eyesight began to deteriorate, financial and transport barriers made it impossible for the family to access the care he needed.

When Jira was born, Fatima noticed a yellow colour in his eyes. She walked for around five hours to the nearest hospital, where he was given medication for jaundice. But ongoing treatment and specialist care remained out of reach.

“My hope is that if Jira goes to school, our struggles might be reduced,” Fatima said.

A childhood interrupted

Across Kenya and many parts of Africa, children living in remote communities often miss out on basic eye care because services are too far away, too expensive or simply unavailable.

Photo credit: Michael Amendolia

Without treatment, avoidable vision loss can prevent children from learning, developing independence and participating fully in everyday life.

For Jira, losing his sight also meant losing access to education, friendship and the routines many children take for granted.

Instead of sitting in a classroom, he now spends his days close to home with his sister by his side.

Bringing eye health closer to communities

With support from The Fred Hollows Foundation and the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP), community health worker Robert Ngome was able to reach Jira during an outreach visit run through Kwale Eye Centre.

Community outreach programs play a critical role in identifying children who may otherwise never receive eye health care.

By travelling directly into remote communities, trained health workers can screen children, refer patients for treatment and connect families with services that would otherwise remain inaccessible.

The Foundation's work in Africa

Across Africa, The Foundation supported the screening of more than 3 million people for eye conditions in the past year alone. More than 225,000 eye operations and treatments were performed, including cataract surgeries and other sight-saving interventions.

The Foundation also trained more than 22,000 community health workers across the region, helping strengthen local eye health systems and ensuring more people can access care closer to home.

For children like Jira, these programs can mean the difference between a future limited by blindness and the chance to return to school, regain independence and pursue their dreams.

Photo credit: Michael Amendolia

While Jira’s journey is not over, his story highlights the life-changing impact of reaching families before vision loss becomes permanent.

Because every child deserves the chance to learn, play and see a brighter future.