Meet Rahina Zabeirou

“I would sometimes scratch my eye all night long without sleeping,” said Rahina, who lives with her husband, Noura, and three small children in a rural village in Niger’s Maradi region. “It was so painful that it became difficult for me to take care of my household chores, fetch water, and cook for my family.”

Trachoma is a bacterial infection transmitted by flies, hands, and clothing contaminated by the infection. Repeated infections can lead to scarring of the eyelid, causing the eyelashes to turn inward and scratch the eyeball. The scarring could eventually result in blindness.

Despite Rahina’s suffering, her family couldn’t afford to travel to a far-away health center for treatment. Her condition continued to worsen, and she began to lose hope.

But then a surgery team funded by The Carter Center visited her village.

“I was examined,” Rahina said, “and they performed an operation on my eyelid and put a bandage on it, which they removed the next day, giving me medication free of charge.”

Rahina shifted from pain and despair to health and hope.

“Since then, I am happy to be in my home, taking good care of my three children and my home,” she said.