- Stories
The Pottery Maker From Lutsangani
Mwaka, a 61-year-old woman from the Lutsangani area of Kinanago in Kwale County, used to be a potter. She made cooking pots to sell for many years, but about two years ago, her failing eyesight stopped her from working. She found out about Right to Sight when she went to the Lutsangani clinic for her eyes. They told her about an upcoming eye screening at the Kwale Eye Centre.
Before her vision got bad, Mwaka’s typical day involved getting clay from the river, shaping it into pots, and then taking the finished pots to the market to sell. Losing her sight made this impossible. She couldn’t find good clay anymore, and designing pots was hard because customers wanted different things, and she couldn’t see well enough to meet their needs. There was no one to help her. Her youngest daughter took her to the eye screening. After the examination, doctors found she had cataracts. She had a successful operation, and her vision was completely restored.
For Mwaka, getting her sight back felt like a new beginning. She felt a mix of disbelief, fear, and excitement. Now, she’s happy to be able to do her pottery again, which is very different from how her life was two years ago.
She was thankful that the eye clinic helped her and saved her from going blind. She promised to tell others who are scared and hopeless because of cataracts that there is help available.
