Massage eases pain for blind in S. Sudan

JUBA, South Sudan - As civil war and a biting economic crisis continue to ravage the country, a group of blind South Sudanese in the capital Juba is using massage therapy to relieve people from pain and stress.

Established in 2013, Seeing Hands group - a social enterprise scheme made of up five members, all blind - offers massage therapy to local and foreign clients at a fee.

James Pitia, 32, became blind in 2000 after contracting onchocerciasis, or river blindness (a tropical disease common in South Sudan), and the illness left him unable to fend for himself.