Ivan Egaru has never seen, but he has listened. The only son of a blind mother and father, Ivan was born without sight. In his home as a small child, he would wash away his loneliness with music on the radio. Fortunately, Ivan’s parents found out about the Madera School for the Blind and sent him there in 2011. These days, Ivan can read and write braille and is learning several instruments. He also sings ceaselessly—both songs he picks up from the radio and his own compositions. Four years ago, he and his parents didn’t have much hope for his future. Now he dreams of being a musician, so that he can share with people the happiness he experiences when he hears music.
In Madera’s 60-year history, the school has never had a modern sanitation system. DROP has already built showers and toilets, but we need about $20,000 to complete the project by installing a solar pump that will give the school clean water forever. That figure may seem insurmountable, but so too do the odds of a blind boy in sub-Saharan Africa finding his vision for the future. Today, give to fund a brighter future for Ivan and the 100 other children at Madera by going to this link.