Nioki, January 2024
Since 2004, Sodefor has been collaborating with the mission of Belgian ophthalmologists from the international organisation Ophthalmology Worldwide (OWW), facilitating the logistics for this major mission to take place in Mai Ndombe province.
Since 2004, Sodefor has been collaborating with the mission of Belgian ophthalmologists from the international organisation Ophthalmology Worldwide (OWW), facilitating the logistics for this major mission to take place in Mai Ndombe province. In January 2024, the 28th mission took place in Nioki, where a delegation of 14 professionals (including nurses, doctors and technicians) travelled from Belgium to this village in Mai Ndombe, offering 1231 consultations and 260 surgical operations to patients suffering from eye disorders. Cataracts and glaucoma are the most frequent causes of blindness. There is 1 ophthalmologist for every 1.4 million inhabitants in the D.R. Congo.
Since the beginning of this OWW project in Nioki, 19845 consultations have been offered to the population, as well as 3191 surgical interventions which have enabled these people, the vast majority of whom have no access to ophthalmological treatment, to go from blindness to sight.
Sodefor contributes 100% free of charge to the logistics that ensure the equipment reaches its destination and the mission runs smoothly. Sodefor also provides the necessary accommodation and means of travel inside Nioki, so that the team can feel at ease and gain strength to help all the people waiting for their appointment or surgical intervention. These people often come from 500 kilometers away in search of a better quality of life.
