Bezare (41)

‘I have had a tumor in my head a few years now. If you like, you can feel the lump. I actually need a second operation that we can’t afford which has consequences.’

‘I’m a mother of eight children. Five of them are blind. I have a tremendous responsibility. I want them to have a roof over their heads for the rest of their lives, I want them to be part of a family, to be be cared for and to be loved. I’ve always been able to offer them those things – even when we were forced to flee from the violence three years ago. I fed them, washed them, took care of their physical needs. But now that my tumor is no longer being treated, the care for my blind kids is deteriorating along with my health. Ironically the doctors tell me the first thing I will lose is my sight.’

‘So I have a new strategy. I’m training my three blind daughters - teaching them to clean, to make dinner, to take care of themselves. They work alongside me now in our house, they care for our family, and sometimes it strikes me that before long they’ll be teaching me how to do all these things without the use of my eyes.

That thought saddens me and fills me with pride at the same time. It means I’ve nearly completed my biggest responsibility as a mother - ensuring that my blind daughters can manage without me when I’m gone.’