{"id":18626,"date":"2021-11-24T18:31:34","date_gmt":"2021-11-24T17:31:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gewebenetzwerk.de\/augenlicht-fuer-ruanda\/"},"modified":"2022-09-23T13:55:57","modified_gmt":"2022-09-23T11:55:57","slug":"sight-for-rwanda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gewebenetzwerk.de\/en\/sight-for-rwanda\/","title":{"rendered":"Sight for Rwanda"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sight for Rwanda<\/h1>\n

DGFG supports Cornea Help e. V. to combat corneal blindness<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/section>
\n
<\/span><\/span><\/div>
\n

On November 13, 2021, Klaus Renken, chairman of Cornea Help e.V.<\/a>, traveled to Rwanda for the first time since the outbreak of the corona pandemic to save three patients from severe eye diseases: “I am delighted to be able to fly to Africa again, together with three corneas for which the patients in Rwanda have been eagerly awaiting for many years,” said Renken (photo, center right). The corneal transplants come from the network of the non-profit organization DGFG \u2013 the German Society for Tissue Transplantation (Deutsche Gesellschaft f\u00fcr Gewebetransplantation), donated by deceased persons in the context of altruistic tissue donation.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/p><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n
<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n

“Countries like Rwanda depend on our help. Tissue donation facilities like the NPO DGFG or even donation programs and tissue banks\u00a0do not exist,” Renken explained. “We are therefore in close contact with local doctors. They let us know when help is urgently needed. Then, Cornea Help takes over the further organization, in this case with the support of the DGFG.” Ophthalmologist Dr. John Nkurikiye of Kigali’s Dr. Argawals Eye Hospital<\/a> has registered three of his patients for corneal transplants (keratoplasty) with DGFG. “Medicine stops at no borders even in the allocation of tissue transplants. We are pleased to be able to provide the three patients in Rwanda with suitable corneas,” said Regina Michaelis, head of DGFG’s tissue allocation office from Hanover.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>

Klaus Renken personally accompanied the patients on site during the operation. “We are always present at the operations ourselves. We maintain very close contact with the doctors and patients and want to make sure that the help arrives exactly where it is needed,” explains Klaus Renken, who founded the Cornea Help association in 2009. Since then\u00a0Klaus Renken and his wife Sigrid Renken have been committed to the treatment of patients with corneal diseases.\u00a0The reason: A former work colleague had also a severe corneal disease and was in danger of going blind. At that time, Klaus Renken and his family did everything in their power to help this man – as they are doing today, with this three patients in Rwanda. “Thanks to the financial support of many private individuals, but also of companies, we have already been able to help more than 100 patients see clearly through a donated corneal transplants again in many African countries, including Rwanda.”<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>