Esther Lekada
Esther Lekada is eight years old.
About a year ago, she developed eye problems. Her eyes were teary and she constantly complained of an itchy feeling. During one of the lessons in her Standard Two class at Lokuto Primary School in Maralal location, her class teacher Titus Lenolgenje noticed Lekada's discomfort as she strained to visualise what he was scribbling on the blackboard in front of the classroom.
“I moved her to the front seat but she still could not see clearly,” says her teacher. “I summoned her parents and advised them to take her to hospital for an eye check up.”
At the hospital, Lekada was found to have active trachoma with follicles visible on the inside of her eyelids. She was given antibiotics and after several weeks, she recovered fully.
When AMREF initiated the Trachoma Reduction Programme four years ago, one of the approaches was to educate pupils in schools about trachoma, its symptoms and how it can be prevented.
Apart from training teachers on trachoma, AMREF provided teaching materials for the lessons on trachoma. AMREF also provided water tanks to conserve water and leaky tins where pupils can wash their hands and faces while in school. Through those lessons, Lekada and her fellow pupils have learnt the necessary skills to avoid trachoma.
“Our teacher has taught us to wash our hands every time we visit the latrine and to wash our faces regularly from the water containers inside the school compound,” says Lekada. AMREF has rehabilitated a borehole near her home and created a water point where her family and community at large fetch water for domestic use.
“We have also been told to educate our parents on ways to avoid trachoma at home by keeping the houses and the compound clean to keep off the flies that cause trachoma,” she says.
AMREF is a transparent organisation distributing funds of up to $85 million per year.
