by CB Samuel.  When we deal with our neighbours, families and the world around us, what helps us to decide the right things to do and say? Here are some imaginary situations which all of us might face. Read through these case studies - if possible talk about them and discuss them in groups - and decide what action you would take. 

by Nick Brown.  In an earlier issue of Footsteps (No 5, December 1990) Dr Julian Evans introduced the idea of community involvement in forestry. Most agencies and governments involved in forestry in poorer countries now recognise that forestry programmes can only really be successful in the long term if they involve the community. They must take into account the needs and hopes of the local people who depend for their survival on the land around them. If the local community is ...

A letter recently received from Senggo Christian Hospital in Irian Jaya, raised various questions about the sterilisation of equipment to kill the HIV virus. The letter ends ‘...in the developing world, it isn’t much help to know that glutaraldehyde is best, when it is too expensive and hard to get.’

The land as a gift from God by Revd Dr Chris Wright. In the Old Testament, Israel had land to live in because God, quite simply, had given it to them. This gift of land made Israel realise how dependent they were on God and how dependable God was in providing for their needs - even when they were unfaithful to him. The gift of land proved the relationship between God and Israel. Individuals had the right to their own individual piece of land - the land was intended to be equally shared out. ...

This edition of Footsteps takes the topic of vision. The gift of sight is a very precious one - a gift that many in this world lose through the lack of appropriate eyecare. The study of ophthalmology is a very detailed and specialised field. But simple steps to improve eye-care could be taken by many health centres, to help protect the sight of many.

by Audrey Fernandez.  The busy clinic at Biombo in Guinea Bissau, West Africa, acts as a centre for primary health care work in the surrounding areas. A group of eye specialists from Christoffel-Blindenmission (CBM) visited Biombo in January this year. We were greatly encouraged by their work and were amazed by the number of people in need. Dr Adrian Hopkins and his team made us aware of how simple hygiene, nutrition and early treatment of eye conditions can prevent blindness which may ...

Material abridged from lecture notes kindly supplied by Dr JDC Anderson. Our sight is very precious. It is wonderfully protected, both by its position within our skull and by several mechanisms such as blinking and tears. Together, these keep the front of the eye free of harmful dust and foreign material and, in addition, tears contain a good natural antibiotic. But because of its exposed position, the human eye may suffer injuries and infections of many kinds. In many countries stone throwing ...

AIDS The recent letters on AIDS reminded me of two very serious problems in SW Mali. We worked with the Malinke farmers for seven years in Mali. As far as we could determine, we had only two cases of AIDS in that time. They were both cases of men who had gone away to work in the large coastal cities. They became so sick that they returned home to die, which they did very quickly.

Hanyane - A Village Struggles for Eye Health by Dr Erika Sutter, Dr Allen Foster and Ms Victoria Francis

Development and our vision for the future Adapted with thanks from an article written by Torrey Olsen, World Vision, Gao, Eastern Mali.