Nieba was born and raised in the village of N’Gara in Mali. Nieba suffered from trichiasis, an advanced stage of trachoma whereby the eyelashes turn inwards and scratch the cornea, leading to irreversible blindness.

Nieba’s surgery lasted a mere 15 minutes. Not once did she wince or cringe. When she came out of surgery, she was unable to conceal her joy and danced in a circle thanking everyone around. She knew that her eyesight had been saved.

Credits: Produced by DTJ (http://DTJ.org) Directed by Lindsay Branham, Jonathan Olinger