Not too many people know much about this coastal south African country, a former protectorate of South Africa. It's one of the world's least dense countries and also has one of the highest rates of blindness by cataracts. A former fashion designer now Dr. Helen Ndume, noticed this dilemma and has worked tirelessly for those who once blind, to now see.
This story says a lot about an African nation, which are traditionally believed by the West as places that can't help themselves. Even despite the assistance that Dr. Ndume is receiving from NGOs, she was the one who conceived the idea and brought it to reality.
I feel any person that finds themselves needing to "help Africa" should first look at how Africans are helping themselves. Despite some of the hardships that fall upon some African nations, I have noticed that generally Africans are creative. For example, I remember reading about two men in Kenya who found a way to use their bicycles to charge their phones. A man in Nigeria found a way to solve the electric grid problem and the sanitation problem in Lagos - simultaneously. In fact, some argue that Westerners should even look at Africa for innovation.
All in all, Africans have been helping themselves for hundreds of years. even though many Western media group portray Africa as "desperate." I think many of us forget that the one of the world's first great civilizations was in Africa. Also, something that many around the world start their day with - coffee - is from Africa (Ethiopia, more specifically), too. I'll save my list of innovations from Africa for another blog post.
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