Dar Es Salaam - Kwale District Eye Centre (450km)

(Stage 26)

Arriving from Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania via Bagamoyo, Pangani, Tanga, Msambeni to Kwale in Kenya on May 23rd 2004

Rallye mail

The rallyists left Dar Es Salaam on May 23rd 2004 and drove north-west along the coastal road to Bagamoyo then to Pangani then to Tanga crossing the border into Kenya on to Msambweni and finally to the Kwale District Eye Centre.

Kwale District

Located on the Kenya Coast south of Mombasa, Kwale is the second poorest district in Kenya. According to a WHO study done in 1999, on average one employed person supports 16 dependents.

The south coast was once remote and inaccessible. The area used to be covered by the lush Jadini Forest but only a few fragments remain today. The region was infamous for its slave trade, later famous for its huge coconut and sugar plantations. Today, the real attraction of this section of coast are the beaches: spectacular white coral sand protected by an off-shore reef.

The area is moving into the mainstream of Kenya’s tourist industry. Kwale village is only 5kms from the main gate to Shimba Hills National Reserve. Picturesque Diani Beach has developed as a tourist centre. The photo shows a beach party on Diani beach raising funds for the Eye Centre.

Msambweni is an isolated fishing village that was one of the many old slaving towns. Shimoni "place of the hole" takes its name from a 15 km-long cave that once served as a pen for slaves, you can see shackles still bolted to the walls, Today, it is gaining popularity as a jumping-off point for some of the coast’s best deep-sea fishing and coral reefs.

The Kwale District Eye Centre

In Kenya the rate of blindness is ten times that of the western world. There are many cases of child and youth blindness, mainly preventable and symptomatic of poor diet and parental ignorance. In a population of about 600,000 people spread over 8,600 square kilometres an estimated 0.7% were totally blind in both eyes and many more visually disabled.

The Kwale District Eye Centre was founded in 1993 by UK trained ophthalmologist Dr Helen Roberts, now resident in Kenya. Since 1993, more than 26,000 new patients have been registered, and of these over 7,000 have had their sight restored. No patients are refused treatment. Donations are required particularly to allow poor patients to undergo surgical procedures.

		Left: This photograph of the KDEC team was taken at the clinic in February 2004; Dr Helen Roberts is seated in the centre of the picture.
Right: The new two storey building housing the outpatients department and the Low Vision Unit was completed in 2002.
Right: The refurbished operating theatre with more space, air-conditioning and natural light.
Right: Spectacular blossoms on a tree in the courtyard of the Eye Centre.

After a stay near the Eye Centre with time to enjoy the wonderful beaches, the rally moves on to Mafinga in Tanzania on 27th May 2004.