Our Children's Vision Expand Co-founded by the Brien Holden Vision Institute and Essilor’s strategic giving fund Vision For Life in April 2016, Our Children's Vision is a global campaign that aims to screen 50 million children worldwide for vision impairment by 2020 and create long-term access to affordable eye care services and glasses for all children in the future. Vision Aid Overseas is a proud partner of Our Children's Vision and will place an additional priority and resources to our work with children during the coming years.
The Clothworkers' Foundation Expand The Clothworkers' Foundation was established by The Clothworkers' Company in 1977 and aims to improve the lives of people and communities, particularly those facing disadvantage. The Clothworkers' Foundation currently supports Vision Aid Overseas' work in Sierra Leone via a proactive grants programme which is not open to applications. With thanks to The Clothworkers Foundation: for 'Primary Eye Care Pilot Project', reaching over 320,000 people and improving the skills of 240 Community Health Workers, 16 Community Health Officers, and three optometry Technicians, within three years between 2019-2022. Goal: To reduce the prevalence of Uncorrected Refractive Error in children and adults across the Kenema district, the capital of the Eastern region of Sierra Leone. Objectives: Enhance the capacity of government health workers to provide safe and inclusive optical services, especially vulnerable groups; Improve the availability of safe, essential eye services in Primary Health Units (PHUs) and District hospitals; Improve the delivery of quality eye health services to vulnerable groups; Increase the knowledge of basic eye health issues and services amongst the community; Increase the ability of the community to make decisions on spectacle wearing; Increase spectacle usage for vulnerable groups. Beneficiaries: Over 320,000 people will be pre-screened for eye issues by Community Health Workers and 131,733 people will be screened by a health worker trained in the WHO-approved Primary Eye Care method. We anticipate that 26,000 patients will require and be treated with eye drops for conjunctivitis symptoms and 10,800 patients will require and be issued life changing glasses. The following health professionals will be trained: 240 Community Health Workers, 16 Community Health Officers (CHOs), 3 optometry Technicians (OTs). 90% of the target total population will benefit from health education activities to promote awareness, importance and uptake of eye health services. Activities: Training existing government health professionals at different levels of the Primary Health Care system (Community Health Workers , Community Health Development of Behaviour change strategies, Community engagement, Community sensitization and eye health education materials. Screening and referral and treatment of patients Equipping the Vision Centre with additional frames and lenses to meet increased demand Carrying out community outreach twice a year to provide eye tests to those patients who require them. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation of programme impact
Maitri Trust Expand A grant from the Maitri Trust has allowed Vision Aid Overseas to expand its work in Sierra Leone to the Northern Province to reach greater numbers of patients through the establishment of a Vision Centre in Bombali District and includes supporting the training of four Optometry Technicians.
The Laing Foundation Expand All outreach activities run from Kenema Hospital in the Eastern region of Sierra Leone is made possible thanks to the provision of a vehicle funded by The Laing Foundation.
United States Agency for International Development Expand With thanks to The United States Agency for International Development (USAID): for 'School Eye Health in Sierra Leone', reaching 44,000 children and 988 teachers at 159 primary schools, within two years between 2019-2021. Goal: Demonstrate and develop guidelines for a school-based eye health programme that provide annual vision screening, eyeglasses, referral and treatment for children and teachers in Kenema district. Objectives: Strengthen the primary eye care and refractive error services for children and teachers at the Kenema Hospital Vision Centre. Establish regular screening, referral and treatment services in primary schools supported by eye health promotion and education. Strengthen the Vision Centre to provide and deliver high quality eyeglasses. Strengthen the national plans for a School based eye health strategy. Beneficiaries: The primary beneficiaries are the children and teachers at 159 government primary schools in Kenema. 44,000 children and 988 teachers will be screened by 300 trained teachers. We anticipate 4,400 children and 395 teachers will require a full eye test or onward referral for additional treatment. All students and their families will benefit from eye health education via a tailored behaviour change strategy, including sharing information on the radio, through school clubs and via community meetings. Activities: Ophthalmic Technicians and outreach staff will receive training so that they are able to examine, refract and refer children and teachers in primary schools. Teachers will be trained to screen, students will be refracted and counselled at vision friendly corners, and they will receive eyeglasses and/or are referred to non-surgical and surgical treatment. Support the Vision Centre to provide an uninterrupted supply of eyeglasses so that sustainability is improved by revenue earned. VAO will gather information from this programme, including the monitoring of the use of eyeglasses, and develop a set of guidelines to present for adoption by the National Eye Care Committee.