Narrative
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Project narrative
On November 14, 2023, Chinese Ambassador Peng Jingtao launched the 2023 "Bright Journey" (also known in French as Marche vers la lumière) at the Ministry of Health in Cotonou. The program was funded by China’s National Health Commission and implemented by a six-member ophthalmology team from the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, in collaboration with the 26th Chinese Medical Aid Team to Benin (see Record ID#99553). The program took place at the Mono-Couffo Departmental Hospital Center in Lokossa, where the team carried out free cataract surgeries for 232 patients and provided diagnosis and treatment services to over 100 additional patients with other eye diseases. To support sustainable care, the Chinese Government donated modern ophthalmic equipment—including a phacoemulsification unit, surgical microscope, and endothelial cell counter—along with consumables, and unveiled the newly established China–Benin Ophthalmology Center. Chinese specialists also provided on-site training to Beninese doctors and nurses, demonstrating the use of the donated equipment and strengthening local capacity. The campaign was part of a broader effort to reduce avoidable blindness in Benin.