Oukwanyama queen honours Dr Ndume

By Marianne Nghidengwa

OUKWANYA­MA Queen Martha Mwa­dinomho ya Kris­tian Nelumbu has honoured renowned ophthalmologist, Dr Helena Ndume, for her outstanding work, including restoring the eyesight of over 35 000 people across the country.
Ndume received the award during a presti­gious event held at the Omhedi Palace in the Ohangwena region on Saturday.
In a speech read on her behalf, the queen said that the award is a reminder of how Na­mibians appreciate her selflessness and pas­sion about eye care.
The miracle doctor, as she is affectionately known, said she came across SEE Interna­tional, an organisation that helps developing countries fight pre­ventable blindness, at a 1996 conference in the United States.
She said that after returning home, with the help of SEE Inter­national and a mix of international doctors, she successfully pio­neered the Eye Camp initiative in Namibia in 1997. She has not looked back since.
“This award is not mine alone, but also that of other people that helped me over the years, and contin­ue to do so, in restor­ing the eyesight of our people.”
Ndume said that while she is humbled by the award, her real reward is the differ­ence she makes in the lives of those she has assisted.
The doctor also en­couraged the youth to take their studies seri­ously, and follow her footsteps.