A mother who had never set her eyes on her baby , a poor villager who had n't worked for years , an old man who had never seen his pension money -- these are just some of the thousands of blind Namibians whose lives have genuinely been transformed by the treatment of a woman who they call their `` miracle doctor . '' Dr. Helena Ndume , the head of the eye department at Namibia 's largest hospital , Windhoek Central , has dedicated her life to help to restore sight in a country where tens of thousands of people are suffering needlessly from a condition that is curable . Cataracts , a clouding of the lens in the eye , is one of the main culprits of blindness in Namibia , a country of barely two million . For Ndume , this is simply unacceptable . `` You ca n't call yourself a progressive country or nation if you still have people going blind from cataracts today , '' says Ndume , who also runs eye camps across the southwest African country where she treats those who do not have the means to pay for a simple surgical procedure . A tireless worker , Ndume reckons that she and her team have so far restored the sight of more than 20,000 people . `` There 's no money in this world that can pay the joy of someone who was so blind for so many years and then suddenly they regain their vision , '' Ndume says . `` You 're changing the life of so many people , you make it easier for them and it is also productive for the country -- you help people who are taking care of their grandchildren , contributing to the economy of the country , this is very , very good , '' she adds . Growing up in South African-occupied South West Africa -- as Namibia was then known -- Ndume 's desire as a teenager was to become a fashion designer . But she soon found that she had to give up her dream . At the age of 15 , Ndume was one of the many Namibians who went through Angola to Zambia to join the liberation movement that ultimately led to Namibia 's independence . There , she was housed in camps of the South West Africa People 's Organization where she was told that becoming a fashion designer was not an acceptable career path . `` In an independent Namibia we need medical doctors , not fashion designers , '' Ndume remembers being told at the time by Nahas Angula , who is currently Namibia 's prime minister . So instead of following her fashion dream , Ndume was sent to Germany to become a doctor and in 1989 she returned to a liberated Namibia , keen to practice occupational health . She was urged , however , to specialize in ophthalmology and help to tackle Namibia 's bigger problem of blindness . In the beginning , Ndume remembers , people were a bit suspicious about having a doctor operating on their eyes . But after the first successful medical procedures , everybody started asking for help . `` There was that few operations , people who came really blind with visual acuity who could only see light perception -- they went back seeing again and that 's how the message spread like wildfire , '' says Ndume . `` For them this was really a miracle and they will even tell me that this is like Jesus when he was making the blind see again and that 's I think why they call me the miracle doctor , '' she adds . Ndume 's amazing energy and dedication has also inspired others to join her mission to rid Namibia of preventable blindness . As a result , a mix of international groups like Surgical Eye Expeditions ( SEE ) and Seeing Without Borders and individual doctors travel to Namibia every year , dedicating their time and expertise to help poor people to restore their sight . `` Dr. Ndume is a remarkable woman , '' says Mike Colvart of SEE . `` She is inexhaustible , she is an incredible physician , very capable but also able to motivate people and she 's been able to get the governor of Namibia to support her and her colleagues . `` She does provide an amazing service , she works all the time here , 12 hour days , day after days , seven days a week , she never stops , '' he adds . And while Ndume had to give up her teenage dream of forging a career in fashion , she says she has no regrets -- she has been able to serve her people and make a profound difference in thousands of lives . `` If you give , you get back , and the getting back is to see people going home very satisfied with bright faces -- coming in looking down and depressed and then they go back home seeing again , that is so rewarding and it keeps you , it makes you come back all the time , '' she says .
Helena Ndume is a doctor who helps tackle Namibia 's problem of blindness . Hide Caption 1 of 10 Photos:Photos: Namibia's struggle with blindness Namibia's struggle with blindness – The government has set up an organization to help people living Ndume reckons that she and her team have so far restored the sight of more than 20,000 people .