Meet The Team

My name is Chrisjan Dees. I was born in the Netherlands and completed medical school there. Soon after, me and Anja and our then 3 small children moved to the UK where I worked as a trainee doctor in ophthalmology in Middlesbrough and in Aberdeen, and then since 1999 as an NHS consultant eye specialist in Darlington and Middlesbrough. In 2015, my nephew, who works in Angola as a pilot with MAF, invited us to visit him there and see the work our colleagues do under very different circumstances. Ever since then, we have supported the sight saving work in Angola with repeat visits, gifts of equipment, teaching, and joining in with doing clinics and cataract surgery. Now that I am semi-retired, we have more time to do this, and I was very keen to set up this charity to get more people involved. Together we can help eye health care in Angola become more effective, so that nobody has to live with avoidable sight loss.

I am very excited about the potential of this charity!

We have come to love the people of Angola, and we are determined to do what we can to improve the availability and the quality of sight saving treatment through education, partnership and better equipment, and by supporting a development towards financial independence. But we need your help!

My name is David Chivinda and I work at the Evangelical Solidarity Association “SOLE – Angola”, as the Administrator of the “Boa Vista” Eye Health Clinic in Benguela, a position I have held for 25 years.

1. My journey at Boa Vista has been marked by great responsibility and dedication in maintaining the Clinic's operation, particularly in terms of personnel management, infrastructure, contact with national and international partners, as well as the planning of daily activities, among other responsibilities.
2. The greatest joys arise when we achieve positive results and see that the expected objectives have been successfully met.
3. The challenges are enormous, especially in a developing country like Angola. Some of the main challenges that directly affect Boa Vista include the scarcity of medical supplies, the lack of stable and quality electricity, which hinders the proper functioning of equipment, as well as the exchange rate fluctuations of the national currency, which have generated uncertainty and a significant financial impact. Furthermore, we face a shortage of ophthalmologists to meet the needs of the most disadvantaged populations with visual impairments.
4. For the future, our hope is to have one or two more ophthalmologists, increase the number of professionals to improve the quantity and quality of surgeries performed, strengthen the quality of the electricity supply through a transformer station or solar energy, and hope that the Angolan Government will be able to stabilise the economic system and reduce inflation, thus reducing the increase in the costs of imported products and supplies.
5. I am deeply grateful for all the support that has been given to us through dr Chrisjan and Sister Anja, who have contributed greatly to this work of restoring the vision of many people in Angola.

Hello, I am João.

After finishing medical school in Zambia, I returned to my native Angola in 2020 because of a strong conviction that I should serve my people, especially those suffering sight loss. I found Dr Steve Collins in Lubango and became his apprentice. I went to Nigeria to learn cataract surgery, and did a Masters in Global Health through remote learning with the Institute of International Medicine in Kansas City, USA. I have worked for Boa Vista since 2022 as a cataract surgeon in Benguela and on eye camps in the provinces. In 2025 it was obvious that I needed to follow a residency program in order to become a fully trained and recognised eye specialist.

As I complete my first year of residency in ophthalmology, I am writing to express my deepest gratitude for your continued support and sponsorship. This past year has been a period of immense growth, and I have gained a wealth of knowledge and clinical experience that seemed out of reach just twelve months ago . Your generosity is not just an investment in my education, but a lifeline for the people of Angola.

Because of your belief in me, I am gaining vital skills, and I remain steadfast in my commitment to return home and save my people by providing essential eye care services (surgeries, consultations etc). I am especially driven to serve our rural communities, where the need for vision restoration is most critical. Beyond clinical care, i am dedicated to advancing research that will have a lasting impact on our nation - specifically in the fight to completely eliminate onchocerciasis and exploring the frontiers of gene therapy for optic nerve regeneration.

Thank you for being the catalysts for change in my life and for the thousands of patients whose sight will be restored in the years to come. I look forward to honouring your support through my service to the Angolan people.

Hi everyone
My name is Kay Henderson, and I have worked across a variety of roles within Ophthalmology for nearly 30 years.
In 2023, I travelled to Angola with Chrisjan, where I witnessed first-hand the devastating impact of avoidable blindness and the urgent need for accessible eye care. The experience had a profound effect on me and inspired me to become a founding member of this charity, committed to helping restore sight, hope, and opportunity to communities across Angola.