A Journey to be Witnessed

In the most isolated and rural areas of Vhembe, Limpopo, men and women queue for hours and travel for days all for one thing – sight. Due to a lack of resources and specialists in the area, many of the closest hospitals and clinics to these communities are unable to help the people with cataracts and other eyesight issues

It is for this reason that Flying for Life do what they do – bringing isolated communities in South Africa their greatest needs. They use aircraft to fly specialists into the community where they are needed most.

Due to lockdown and the restrictions that came with it, Flying for Life had to put a stop to all flights. This meant that everyone on the long waiting list for surgeries had to wait even longer. But this is only the beginning of the story. In October 2020, during Eyecare Awareness Month, Flying for Life took-off once more.

In one day, on the first flight since lockdown, 14 of the people from the community were given their eyesight back through Ophthalmologists that were brought in to perform much-needed cataract surgeries for these people in need, at no cost to the community.

Makhado was one of these people. For over six years now, Makhado has been unable to see the world around her. It started with her not being able to use the phone or dress herself properly and it ended in a near-complete loss of eyesight, where she has struggled to see even her three children.

Sadly, no matter how much she tried, she was unable to get a grant for her blindness and has been surviving off the grants that her children have received. And because of this limitation, she has been unable to get work and support herself or anyone in her family.

That is when the Flying for Life plane landed, bringing Makhado help, hope and healing for her and her family. Thanks to the surgery that Flying for Life and their partners provided, Makhado has received her sight back. She is now empowered to see and help her children, enabling her to work towards getting a job and supporting herself and her family.

This is just one story of the many lives that have been impacted by the work of Flying for Life. Stories like Makhado’s express the vision of Flying for Life in bringing sustainable upliftment to communities across South Africa in isolation and in ultimately empowering these communities and changing lives.