About the Project
Temeke
Temeke District is one of the three districts of Dar es Salaam. It is densely populated, with more than 1.5 million residents over an area of 729 sq km.
Temeke District has a historic significance for the Khoja Community as it is where the birth of Bilal Muslim Mission was envisioned by AFED in the 60’s. THe first Bilal Shia Mosque, Hawza and Madrassa were built in this district and have since then become the epicentre of the spread of the message of the Ahlul Bayt (as) in Africa.
Bilal Muslim Mission
Bilal Muslim Mission has over 35 years of experience in running regular eye camps. The statics from the camps indicate that 5-7% of the patients screened have cataract, the treatment of which is a simple cataract surgery. Unfortunately, non-availability and non-affordability provides no choice but to continue to remain blind.
Similarly, 7-12% of students screened have poor vision that greatly affects only their education, but also the quality of their daily life leading to low self-esteem and being marginalized at home and in society.
Facts and Figures
Blindness and vision impairment are one of the top ten health problems causing the most disability in Tanzania [1].
There is only one ophthalmologist to every 1 million people in Tanzania [2].
Visual impairment is a significant health problem in the African Region. The major eye conditions include cataracts, uncorrected refractive errors, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, corneal opacities, diabetic retinopathy, trachoma, and onchocerciasis.
With today’s knowledge and technology, up to 80% of blindness is preventable and treatable. Cost-effective interventions are available for the major causes of avoidable blindness. However, millions of people in Africa remain at risk of visual loss due to the lack of eye-care services.
Approximately 26.3 million people in the African Region have a form of visual impairment. Of these, 20.4 million have low vision and 5.9 million are estimated to be blind. It is estimated that 15.3% of the world’s blind population reside in Africa [3].
[1] Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation
[2] International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness
[3] https://www.afro.who.int/health-topics/eye-health
The Need
Market research and Bilal Muslim Mission’s experience in organising eye camps nationwide indicate that there is a significant need for quality, efficient, fast and affordable eye care related services and goods within the region. Non-availability and non-affordability are the major reasons most people with poor or low vision must suffer in silence.
Basic eye care services are offered by a very small number of private optical practices in Temeke and there is no other facility or hospital to provide any help beyond that. There is an urgent need of having a fully fledged eye clinic which provides first class eye related services with state of the art equipment at an affordable price or subsidised rate. Bilal Charitable Eye Centre believes that with competent staff and management, they can become the leading
choice for eye care related services in the district of Temeke and beyond.
The Centre plans to provide optometry services at very affordable and at times subsidised rates. Cataract and other minor surgeries will be provided free of charge.
Bilal Charitable Eye Centre
Bilal Charitable Eye Centre will be established at a facility that once used to operate KSIJ Dispensary Temeke, owned by the Bilal Muslim Mission of Tanzania and managed by the KSI Jamaat of Dar es Salaam.
The Eye Centre is located opposite Bilal Comprehensive School which will allow use of the vast and beautiful facilities of the school during the Free Eye Camps and Free School Vision Screening Programs run by Bilal Muslim Mission when a large number of people are expected.
How Can You Help? The Operating Room
The grant of $95,000 will be used to equip the operating room, pre-op, and post-op facilities at the Bilal Charitable Eye Centre including:
- 2 surgical beds
- pre-op blocking room to prepare the patient before surgery
- scrub
- changing rooms
- equipment
- post-op lounge to accommodate 6-8 patients after surgery
- sterilisation equipment
- air conditioner
Breakdown of Costs
| Item | Quantity | Cost in $ |
| LED 5 step operating Microscope with foot switch standing | 1 | 8,500 |
| LED 5 step operating Microscope with foot switch portable with aluminum case | 1 | 8,000 |
| Operation table motorized model: AAOT with foot switch | 1 | 2,400 |
| A-scan | 1 | 4,200 |
| YAG Laser 307 with slit lamp & motorized table | 1 | 18,500 |
| Cautery bipolar | 1 | 650 |
| Cataract set | 5 | 3,750 |
| Pterigium set | 2 | 700 |
| Evisceration set | 2 | 600 |
| Glaucoma set | 2 | 1,600 |
| BTRP (Trichiasis) set | 2 | 1,100 |
| Electrical anterior vitrectomy machine, portable AVIT | 1 | 7,500 |
| Scrub sink combo | 1 | 750 |
| Sluice sink combo | 1 | 750 |
| Operating room AC | 1 | 1,200 |
| Sterilization room sink combo | 1 | 500 |
| Table top autoclave digital 22L | 1 | 2,800 |
| Second Theatre Bed | 1 | 2,400 |
| Hospital Bed | 8 | 1,804 |
| Bed side locker | 8 | 1,101 |
| Mayo Table | 1 | 547 |
| Instrument trolley with 3 partition | 2 | 700 |
| Trolley 2 shelf | 1 | 479 |
| Theatre bucket kick | 1 | 91 |
| Bar chair | 6 | 1,268 |
| Stool without back rest | 3 | 284 |
| Hospital mattress | 8 | 550 |
| Medical trolley | 1 | 313 |
| Autoclave-50 L | 1 | 2,500 |
| Dressing drums – stainless steel – various sizes | 6 | 300 |
| Autoclavable stainless steel dressing / instrument trays with covers – various sizes | 6 | 360 |
| Compliance to Ministry of Health regulations for anti-bacterial seamless flooring and wall epoxy | 3,000 | |
| Miscellaneous / Contigency | 2,940 | |
| Exchange / Transfer fees | 2,863 | |
| Sub – Total | 95,000 | |
| WF Aid Operational Cost | 4,500 | |
| TOTAL | 99,500 |
IMAM JA’FAR SADIQ (A.S.) SAYS:
“AN ACT OF CHARITY GIVEN OPENLY PREVENTS SEVENTY TYPES OF MISHAPS, AND A SECRETLY GIVEN CHARITY COOLS THE ANGER OF OUR LORD ALLAH (S.W.T.)”
BIHAR UL ANWAR V93, P130R