Benjamin Drummond / Sara Steele

Editor’s Note: This engaging video about the forgotten topic of eye care in Mozambique is worth checking out. The strong stills and video are well edited, and with the infectious music and lilting Portuguese, the young African characters come to life. Good to see documentary work portraying Africa in a positive light for a change. Love to hear your comments on this piece.

Photographer Benjamin Drummond (b.1979, USA) and producer Sara Joy Steele (b.1978, USA) have been telling stories about people, nature and climate change for almost a decade. They work with a diverse range of editorial, nonprofit and agency clients to tell important stories through photography, video and strategic branding. Benj’s work has appeared in National Geographic, Mother Jones, Orion and PDN and has been exhibited at more than a dozen events and venues including the Houston Center for Photography and the Ansel Adams / Mumm Napa Fine Art Gallery. They are members of Aurora Select and are currently serving as project representatives on Blue Earth’s Board of Directors.

About the Story:

“Joel de Melo Bambamba and Suzete Guina are studying to become two of Mozambique’s first optometrists. After a series of civil wars left their country one of the poorest in the world, the population of almost 24 million is just beginning to recover. Yet, there are zero optometrists in Mozambique, and poverty and blindness are inextricable. The Mozambique Eyecare Project aims to provide a sustainable solution to the problem of avoidable blindness through optometrist education. There are now 56 students enrolled in the project, thanks to a partnership between the Dublin Institute of Technology, Lúrio Univeristy in Mozambique and the International Centre for Eyecare Education.”