Philomene's Hope is Restored!

Philoméne Digbeli Gboko stood in line at the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) refugee camp in Togo, West Africa. It was early in the morning and the line was long, but she hoped that the Mercy Ships Eye Team could help her. Philoméne, like everyone else in line, was a refugee from the Ivory Coast. For the past eleven months, she had lived inside the refugee camp with 3,000 other people. Space was tight, and resources were limited for everyone living there, but for Philoméne, the living conditions were not the hardest reality to endure.

Less than a year ago, she was living in the Ivory Coast. One day, she went to visit a friend, and this act saved Philoméne’s life. When she returned home, she found her home consumed in a fury of flames caused by rebel soldiers. Inside, she could hear the screams of her entire family as they perished in the fire. In fear that the rebels would discover that she had survived, she grabbed everything not consumed by flames and ran for her life. She was never even able to bury her family.

Philoméne had a rough start at the refugee camp. The weight of her tragic loss was a heavy burden, and no one could lift her spirits as she mourned the loss of everyone she knew and loved. The UNHCR sent psychologists to help her, but they concluded that what she needed was time to deal with her grief.
Another problem for Philoméne was that, in her rush to leave the Ivory Coast, she grabbed the wrong pair of glasses. She tried to wear them, even though they caused her much pain.

As Philoméne waited in line, she was filled with hope that maybe she would be able to see more clearly once again. To her pleasant surprise, as she neared the end of the process, she was fitted for a pair of glasses donated by Coastal Contacts. “I am very excited and have a lot of joy because these glasses will make life easier for me. This is the first sign that my life might be turning around,” she said as tears streamed down her face.

As Philoméne enjoyed wearing her new glasses, she added, “I have lost my words to thank you because words are not enough. God Bless those who donated the glasses because they have blessed me.”

28 March 2012
Written by Nicole Pribbernow
Edited by Nancy Predaina
Photos by Debra Bell