A young life lived in pain and without help, it would have gotten worse...

I’m Ibrahim, Sightsavers’ project officer in Cameroon. I met Gamangassou and saw his incredible journey to a life free from pain.

Gamangassou remained calm as he went in for surgery, although his mother was a little nervous. But, after a smooth procedure and follow-up the next day, his face was cleaned, and his bandages were removed. I’ll always remember his mother’s smile as she saw his clear eyes for the first time.

Fortunately for Gamangassou, just one week after surgery the difference was clear, and he couldn’t stop smiling.

I’ve worked for Sightsavers for six years and witnessed the progress we’ve made towards ending trachoma. I know that, together, we can make this happen. But first we must be able to treat any children still in pain. It’s vital we can keep reaching children in Cameroon – to help treat severe cases like Gamangassou and Aboubakar’s.

It was devastating knowing Gamangassou had been living like this for most of his young life, before receiving treatment. And sadly, there are still many children like him. Due to limited resources, difficult journeys and the threat of conflict, there’s already an estimated 47,200 people who need advanced trachoma or trichiasis surgery in Cameroon – with children like Gamangassou among them. And with COVID-19 further delaying our work, this number is only going to rise.

Your gift will help us prepare to hit the ground running as soon as our programmes restart, by training more volunteers to deliver trachoma screenings and ensuring our teams have everything they need to take children to hospital for surgery. We can also continue our educational programmes about good hygiene, which is vital in stopping the spread of trachoma.

Your kind support today could help more children who are waiting to be free from the pain of trachoma.