In October, the Eyes of the world team in the Sahara received a visit from the heads of the OTC of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) in Algeria.
María Tavera, the coordinator of Eyes of the Sahara, accompanied the general coordinator of the OTC, Luisa Barrenechea, and Teodora Diamantopoulus, project manager, during their visit to the consultation and the glasses assembly workshop of the Rabuni Hospital and shared information to analyse the progress and results of the projects that are financed by the AECID.
One of these projects was the start-up in the summer of the ophthalmology house in the wilaya of Bechar, which makes it easier for Sahrawi refugees to travel from the camps to receive specialized ophthalmological care.
The success of this first shelter exclusively for Sahrawi ophthalmology patients is reflected in the data collected in its first months of operation: until November, eye care was provided to 229 people (49% women), and 110 cataract operations were performed.