Professional Women, Women Executives and Business Women’s Forum (PROWEB) has partnered with The Elena Barraquer Foundation of Spain and the Zimbabwe Defence Forces to perform free cataract surgeries in Zimbabwe, as a way of giving back to the African community.
Senile cataract is a non-preventable disease of aging, having its biggest impact in the over-60 age group. It is the most common cause of blindness globally. In Africa, published clinical and hospital data, population-based surveys and World Health Organization estimates state that 1.2% of the entire population in Africa is blind, with cataract causing 36% of this blindness.
Although cataracts are treatable, many countries in Africa fail to treat them because of technological or economic barriers that prevent people in need of treatment from accessing it. For example, in Zimbabwe where the economic situation has and is still deteriorating to the point where receiving treatment has become a luxury.
However, PROWEB is seeking to overcome those obstacles by bringing the treatment to them, free of charge. It is offering free cataract surgeries that will be performed this month at Chitungwiza Central Hospital (Zimbabwe).
First, free screenings will be conducted from Saturday 21 to Sunday 22 September 2019 at: Kunaka Rural Hospital – Seke, Mahusekwa District Hospital-Chihota, Marondera Hospital – Marondera and Chitungwiza General Hospital – Chitungwiza.
Then, followed by free surgeries which will be done from Monday 23 to Saturday 28 September 2019 at Chitungwiza Central Hospital in Chitungwiza.
There also will be free Transport to go to the hospital courtesy of Proweb/Elena Barraque, and the pick up points are at Kunaka Rural Hospital in Seke, Mahusekwa District Hospital in Chihota and Marondera Hospital in Marondera.
PROWEB is a women’s economic empowerment forum established in 2005 to enable professional, executives and business women to contribute to the national agenda through networking, dialogue and lobbying. And as a non-partisan civil forum its vision is to contribute towards economic empowerment of women by encouraging them to grow economically and socially while making a difference in society.
Among many other socio-economic issues identified by PROWEB as contributory factors towards positive change in Zimbabwean society, health has been recognized as one critical area for support.
This year, PROWEB is partnering with the Elena Barraquer Foundation of Spain to donate eye cataract services for a targeted number of 200 patients in Zimbabwe and it would like to ensure that women, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds access this facility free of charge.