I try to read one chapter from Proverbs a day. There’s a reason that book from the Bible has 31 chapters, even if some months I only reach 30.
One of my favorite Proverbs says,
“The hearing ear and the seeing eye, The LORD has made them both.” — Proverbs 20:12 (NKJV)
We are blessed to live in the West, where programs abound for those who are either visually or hearing impaired. In my recent health challenges, I was quickly and easily able to see an optometrist who helped me correct my vision. It’s a frightening thing when you once were able to hear or see, and suddenly it starts to fail.
People in third-world countries are not so fortunate. Common diseases that we in the West have made easily treatable or mostly eliminated, abound in places like Africa, South America, and the Middle East. Something as simple as cataracts, as horrible as an accident, or a jaw misalignment or injury can cause eyesight to be lost or hearing to fail.
In the case of a little Kenyan girl named Nestayha, she had an illness that caused her eardrums to rupture, ultimately resulting in a loss of hearing. Wear The Peace, a clothing brand that donates its proceeds to humanitarian causes, partnered with United Mission for Relief & Development (UMR), a non-governmental charitable organization, to bring medical aid to a village in Wajir, Kenya. They document this beautiful short story, worthy of a Feel-Good Friday feature:
Nestayha, a 7 year old girl from Wajir, lost her hearing when she was young after she became sick and her eardrums were ruptured. She hasn’t been able to hear until today ♥️ For $100, you can provide a child the ability to hear again.
A man wearing a medical scope places the hearing aid on Nestayha’s ear and activates it. He claps near her ear, and the little girl immediately turns around to look at him. For the first time in a while, Nestayha realizes she can hear what is occurring around her. Nestayha becomes wide-eyed, then emotional as she processes the knowledge that she has regained her hearing.
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It brings tears to your eyes just watching her light up, and the formation of that beautiful smile. It’s no surprise that this video went viral, and has been featured in news copy from India to South Africa.
UMR partners with the United Nations in its mission to supply food and medical services to third-world outposts around the globe.
UMR has implemented many additional aid and relief programs in Kenya in tandem with these infrastructure projects. UMR has partnered with the Wajir Referral Hospital to provide treatment for preventable illnesses, like cataract, low vision and low hearing. These treatments have the ability to lift people out of poverty and give them back their chance at living a full life. To date, UMR has restored the vision and hearing to hundreds of residents in Kenya, and will continue to send regular missions to assist with the ongoing needs.
One hearing aid is just $100.00 dollars. UMR does cataract surgeries for $100.00 for one eye.
We are approaching the holiday season, and some of us are already preparing our gifts to give for Hanukah and Christmas. Some look for ways to go beyond the expensive and disposable presents or bright, shiny objects, to give something that helps those less fortunate or that creates a meaningful connection for the giver and the receiver. I do Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child gift boxes every year. Perhaps this year, I will also contribute $100-$200.00 to UMR or a similar organization in order to bring a smile to a young child’s face, or restoration to an old person’s eyes.
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