Today, an ophthalmic centre at Ijenda

People from Ijenda as well as their neighbours will no longer need to move to Bujumbura for eye care. An ophthalmic centre has recently been created, thanks to “Lions Club Bujumbura Doyen”.-By Diane Uwimana

Some guests visiting the centre.©Iwacu

It has two consultation rooms, six simple rooms and four VIP rooms all with two beds, an operating room and a waiting room… This Saturday, 14 December 2013, the Congregation of Annonciade Nuns from Ijenda- Mugongo-Manga Commune – has received an ophthalmic centre built by “Lions Club Bujumbura Doyen”. Under a strong rain, people from Ijenda were thrilled: “we won’t walk long distances any more crossing mountains and valleys for consultation in Bujumbura, or elsewhere. This centre will allow many people to visit it without spending a lot of money”, says Jacqueline, a resident of the local area. She indicates that she has been suffering from eye illness for long ago but now she is going to be treated near home and in a short time. “The creation of that Ijenda ophthalmic centre aims at fighting blindness and reducing it by 30%. We expect to achieve 3,000 consultations a year and make up to 1,000 surgeries of cataract and glaucoma per year,” says François Nkurunziza, the President of “Lions Club Bujumbura Doyen”. A great joy for Cécile Ntahondereye, Representative of the Annonciade Nuns Congregation of Ijenda: “such activities match with the main objective of our Founder A. P.De Clerk, who wished to announce the good news to the poor through teaching, education and care for the patient”. However, she mentions that the centre needs to be supported as it is young: “despite the good job done by the members of Lions’ Club, the Ministry in Charge of Public Health Care must support us in order to be strong for the whole benefit of the people.” The cost of the care reduced A care centre couldn’t be created easily: «through their integration in the rural community and effective management with recognized, appreciated and uninterrupted competence for 60 years as well as their knowledge of the region, populations and their help in managing administrative and healthcare, the hospital of the same name was chosen as a partner. Thus, the Annonciade Nuns backed this Lions’ Club Project (dated from 2006) by offering the already existing buildings to be rehabilitated,” says Nkurunziza. The members of Lions Club Bujumbura Doyen and their donors have spent around BIF 450 million to rebuild the centre and offer equipment. A team composed of an experienced ophthalmic technician, an accountant and administrative as well as a receptionist officer will be the staff of this centre which will be functional from this Monday, 16 December. Dionis Nizigiyimana, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry in Charge of Public Health and Fighting Against HIV/AIDS, acknowledges the lack of ophthalmologists across the country: “this centre comes to soothe and ease the burden of the population. We will support it as much as we can.” Born in Burundi since 1959, the Lions (Liberty Is Our Nation Security) Club Bujumbura Doyen has 34 members and is among the Lions Club International. It operates and intervenes in the fight against blindness, measles, diabetes and catastrophic disasters.”This project is among our humanitarian actions as included in their “Sight first” project”, clarifies Nkurunziza.