With Dad and six kids having lost their sight, the Begum family of Dhaka in Bangladesh understand just how cruel and arbitrary blindness can be. Until 2007, 38-year-old Momutaz Begum took care of her loved ones with no help and no hope of a cure.

Two autumns ago, Momutaz joined the ORBIS-linked Sajida Foundation micro-credit organization for women because it entitled her loved ones to free eye surgery. Supported by ORBIS, the Foundation's hospital subsequently restored the sight and transformed the lives of all seven family members.

Nazrul is now able to ride his bicycle following the cataract operation.

How your kindness changed everything

When our volunteers visited Dhaka earlier this year, they caught up with the Begums. Momutaz was incredibly grateful for the generosity of ORBIS donors like yourself. Before surgery, her eldest son, Nazrul, had to rely on his Mum for everything. Now his vision is so improved, the Foundation hospital has given him a job welcoming visitors! Ultimately, restored sight and a regular income not only gave Nazrul confidence but also financial independence. No longer reliant on others, Nazrul recently got married, eagerly telling us how he and his wife have their own home and how he is learning to read and write.

Momutaz cannot believe how your kindness has enabled her children to find the kind of happiness many people take for granted.

Eye care center delivers new hope

Having partnered the Sajida Foundation Hospital since 2005, ORBIS was instrumental in establishing the eye care center where all seven Begums' sight was restored. The hospital now offers a one-stop cataract center, four vision centers and an ORBIS-trained eye care team providing more specialized treatments. The hospital serves approximately 5,500 people blinded by cataracts and a further 100,000 people with visual impairments living in the district of Dhaka.

Momutaz and her family started a new life. You can help us bring sight to many other families like the Begums.

The Sajida Foundation's innovative insurance schemes have enabled thousands to access medical treatment they might otherwise never have afforded. Ultimately, just a small monthly amount is all that's needed to pay for any diagnosis or surgery a policyholder may receive at the Foundation's hospital. Adding eye care to coverage at no extra cost has proved very popular with the scheme's 57,000 members.

Help ORBIS bring sight to Bangladesh!

By joining our Monthly Donation Program or making a one-off donation, you will enable us to open the eyes of many, many other families like the Begums. Please act now and support the valuable life-changing work we are doing at the Sajida Foundation Hospital and elsewhere in Bangladesh. Countless thousands of preventably blind people are counting on your kindness.