Middletown artist establishes eye clinic in Tanzanian village

Wendy Black-Nasta, founder of Artists for World Peace, returned to Middletown after three weeks in the village of Kibosho-Umbwe, near Moshi, Tanzania, in the Kilimanjaro region.

She and her 10-member team set up a six-day eye clinic, offering free screening and eyeglasses to nearly 800 people, some of who traveled hours to the health services building that Artists for World Peace (AFWP) had helped build, funded through events in Middletown and on Broadway over the past eight years.

“When I first arrived in Kibosho-Umbwe, I noticed that the older people were squinting—yet no one wore eyeglasses or had access to care. It was a need we had to address. Through our generous donors, Don Fortin, District Governor to International Lions, of District 33-A in Mass. we were able to provide glasses and sunglasses to all who needed them. Additionally, Carol Gordon, OD, received a generous donation from Zyloware of 50 pairs of sunglasses; she and Ana Maria Gomes, O.D., secured donations from Bausch + Lomb and Alcon for hundreds of bottles of drops for treating dry eye, allergies, glaucoma and infections.”

The Connecticut professionals—Carol Gordon, O.D., of Madison; Ana Marie Gomes, O.D., of Milford; and Prof. Raymond Dennis, Coordinator of the Ophthalmic Design and Dispensing program at Middlesex Community College—were joined by Dr. Christian Mlundwa, an eye surgeon at Kibosho Hospital. Mlundwa will continue offering the eye clinic on a monthly basis in Kibosho-Umbwe, and will also perform cataract surgery on patients the team has identified. Dennis, with his students, will be making glasses for special prescriptions they were unable to fill on site. Spouses Michael Gordon and Rosemarie Dennis assisted the eye professionals in the clinic.

“Eyesight is essential to a person’s ability to earn a living and be independent,” said Black-Nasta. “We had one patient, a taxi driver, who was thrilled with his new glasses. ‘Now I can see,’ he said. Now he can safely support his family. Our doctors said that virtually all the cases of blindness they saw—caused by cataracts and glaucoma—were entirely preventable. We want to help these people—and to that end, we are raising money to pay for these surgeries—which cost only 50 dollars. We’ve already had some generous donors who’ve funded the first 20.”

Also, the team focused their attention on The Good Hope Trust Orphanage. Founded by Josephine Machuwa, the orphanage has deep ties with AFWP. The Middletown-based organization has supported these children through sustainability projects and in helping to fund their education over the past seven years. The friendship between Black-Nasta and Machuwa has only deepened since the two met; despite their lives on two separate continents they consider themselves sisters.

Black-Nasta is already planning another medical mission trip and raising funds. Artists for World Peace on Broadway will offer an evening of Broadway talent at Joe’s Pub in New York City on October 5. Tickets may be purchased at artistsforworldpeace.org/2014-broadway4/.

To learn more see artistsforworldpeace.org or on FaceBook at Artists for World Peace.

Caption: Wendy Black-Nasta enjoyed time catching up with the children of Good Hope Trust Orphanage on her visit to Tanzania this summer to start an eye clinic in their village (photo credit: Cynthia E. Rockwell)