Every morning, Felix Joseph leaves his home in Bwaise and travels to Kubiiri, where he earns a living washing cars locally known as “kanabe.”
In his mid-thirties, Felix shows up every day determined to work and earn an income. But for years, he arrived at the washing bay carrying a struggle that many people around him could not see: poor vision.
His eyes frequently itched, hurt, and felt uncomfortable. He often rubbed or narrowed them as he desperately tried to see objects in the distance. He also experienced frequent headaches.
When Felix told a friend about his problem five years back, he was advised to wash his eyes with cow urine once a week, which would improve his vision.
Desperate for a solution, Felix tried it. But the promised improvement never came. As he spoke about the experience, the anger and disappointment on his face revealed just how frustrated he had become for enduring the discomfort of using cow urine in his eyes, yet his vision remained blurred.
To his anger, the poor vision was also affecting his ability to earn a living. Customers sometimes complained that their cars were not sparkling after he had washed them. To protect his job and ensure that each vehicle was cleaned properly, Felix began working with another washing bay attendant on any car he was given to wash and then divide the payment. The arrangement helped him continue working, but it reduced his already limited income.
Two weeks ago, Community Holistic Care Mulago (CHCM), with support from Seva Foundation, brought eye-care services to the washing bay where Felix works.
During his assessment, the eye-care team established that he had a refractive error that could be corrected with prescription glasses. After years of discomfort, traditional remedies and reduced earnings, Felix finally understood what he needed: the right pair of glasses.
However, most of his daily income went toward meeting his family’s basic needs, making it difficult for him to purchase the glasses himself. With support from Seva Foundation, CHCM provided Felix with the prescription glasses he needed. Felix contributed toward the cost of a protective case, which costs less than one US dollar so that he could keep his new glasses safe.
The moment he put them on, his face changed. He looked around the washing bay with disbelief, relief and happiness. The vehicles, people and objects around him were suddenly clearer.
Then he turned to the friends who had been helping him wash cars and joked: “Bakyali bange, bawoonye okunjoreeza nga ku mmotoka zange!” In English, he was telling them: “My friends, you will no longer have to help me wash my customers’ cars!”
Everyone burst into laughter.
Felix was not rejecting his friends, he was celebrating the return of his independence—the possibility of washing a car properly by himself and keeping the full income from his work.
A week later, the CHCM team returned to check on him. His smile told the story before he even spoke.
Felix explained that he could now work with greater confidence and without depending on another person. He could see the vehicles more clearly and identify the areas that needed additional cleaning. His customers had also noticed the difference, and they were complimenting the quality of his work and offering him more cars to wash.
Previously, Felix had to share every payment with the person helping him. Now, he could complete the work independently, keep his full earnings, and take home more income to support his family.
Felix sent his thanks to Seva Foundation and its partners for helping to make this change possible.
Today, CHCM is not the one saying thank you—Felix is.
Felix was not asking for pity. He was not begging for money. He simply needed access to the right eye care and an opportunity to thrive.
His story reflects the reality of many informal-sector workers living with uncorrected vision problems. Some are desperately trying whatever remedies are available to them, even cow urine—when what they may need is a professional eye examination and an affordable pair of prescription glasses.
CHCM is working to remove the barriers that prevent informal-sector workers from accessing quality eye care.