"My eyes all of a sudden started getting painful and itchy and hot. I didn’t understand what was going on,” she recalls.

As her vision worsened, Fatuma could no longer read or write and she felt she had no choice but to resign from her post after a dedicated eight-year stint. “I would have to get my eldest grandchild to lead me on the pathways and bringing me back home if I was called to oversee land subdivision in the village… I even had to stop working because I was seeing double" Fatuma says.  

A pillar of her community in Mbwewe village in Tanzania’s Pwani region, Fatuma tried to keep up with the social events, but she would always sit on the sidelines away from her peers at celebrations as the dust kicked up by dancing and movement would irritate her eyes. The community didn't understand what was happening to her, with some asking her if she had been bewitched. “Some people told me I was cursed. They told me to visit spiritual healers. I disagreed and told them I had better go to the hospital,” she says. Her family were concerned and supported Fatuma on multiple hospital visits but lasting relief remained out of reach.

A New Role, A New Realisation 

Determined to keep serving her community despite her condition, Fatuma started working as a community health worker with the Ministry of Health and Sightsavers Tanzania. Initially she helped eight people in her community to be screened and get treatment for trachoma, then she had an epiphany. "I realised that what they were suffering from was very similar to what I was going through. I decided to also get screened and they found out that indeed, I had trachoma," Fatuma says.

Trachoma, a contagious bacterial eye infection, often leads to damaged eyelids and a painful condition called trichiasis, where eyelashes turn inward and rub against the eye's surface. Fatuma was suffering from this, and the complications of trichiasis can ultimately cause irreversible blindness. This disease is most prevalent in communities lacking access to clean water or effective sanitation, and it commonly spreads through contact with contaminated hands or clothing, as well as by flies coming into contact with a person’s eyes or nose.

Fatuma went in for surgery in December 2024. The results were immediate. 

Her family was overjoyed that Fatuma regained her sight." My grandchildren are so happy now, they tell me in the evenings to teach them how to read and write. My youngest grandchild who is three and a half years can now read the whole alphabet" she says proudly.  

Back to Work and Life 

Fatuma is back to productive work. “Making mats is my business. It helped my put my children through school, they’re now grown up and independent. I can weave my mats like I used to; at one point I couldn’t do that,” she says.

Fatuma is passionate about assisting others to regain their sight and has now helped over 2000 people access screening for trachoma in the three villages in her location. Her journey reflects the power of community-led health interventions and why continued investment in neglected tropical disease elimination matters. 

Fatuma’s journey from patient to advocate powerfully demonstrates the life-changing impact of investing in neglected tropical diseases. Her restored sight not only brought back her dignity, livelihood, and leadership but also empowered her to help thousands more achieve the same. Yet, millions still suffer in silence. We must act now to safeguard the progress made and reach every individual still in need. 

Governments, donors, and partners must commit fresh resources, champion innovative solutions, and fully integrate NTDs into national health plans. Every dollar invested in NTDs yields extraordinary returns in health, education, productivity, and hope. Let Fatuma’s inspiring voice be a rallying cry: "Come forward and get treated so you can be healthy like me." Together, we can eliminate trachoma and other NTDs, restore countless lives, and build a future where no one is left behind.