On our most recent sight-saving Flying Eye Hospital project in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, we met five-year-old Buyandeleger and her mother Munkhsaikhan. Her nickname, “Buyka,” means “doing good,” and today, she is a talkative little girl who loves to draw, dance, and sing. But this little girl wasn’t always able to approach life with such confidence.
At birth, Munkhsaikhan noticed something wrong with her baby’s eyes, but didn’t know that it was treatable. Rural hospitals—like the one where Buyka was born—don’t routinely check the healthof newborn’s eyes.
Buyka frequently closed her right eye whenever she needed to focus on something far away. When her little girl was three years old, Munkhsaikhan’s traveled with her daughter to the city where Orbis ophthalmology services were being offered—and Buyka was diagnosed with a cataract in her right eye.
Soon, Orbis provided her with sight-saving cataract surgery on our Flying Eye Hospital. Thanks to the support of our donors, we restored Buyka’s vision. Her mother says she “could not be more happy. My baby gets to see the world clearly now. She’ll be able to read and to write!”
Today, this little girl loves to dress in bright colors and dreams of becoming a painter one day. And now she can, thanks to the accessible and high-quality eyecare she received through Orbis. On this sight-saving project, we helped empower local eye care teams—training and enhancing their surgical skills so that other children can receive the eyecare they need. But there are still so many children like her that need our help. Can we count on you to help a child who needs you?
