You can help Fundraise Appeals Vision For A Village Did you know Sierra Leone, in West Africa, has only 3 qualified optometrists for a population of 7 million people? Many people do not get the eyecare they need, especially those living in isolated, rural areas. Trying to get to the places that have eyecare is difficult as roads are poor and transport costs high. For families living in remote areas, it can take hours or even days to get to a hospital. Many people also lack knowledge and understanding about eye health, about the simple solution glasses offer, and about the importance and urgency of diagnosing eye issues early on. Without access to eyecare and the knowledge of its importance eye health can deteriorate and lead to blindness. Poor eyesight means parents struggle to find work, and children struggle to learn. We have a solution - Vision for a Village. With your help we can provide transport and portable eyecare equipment so trained eye health professionals can visit remote communities. And we can make sure those communities are educated about eye health and the importance of glasses, so they keep using the services available. “The poorest people can’t come to us, but we can go to them!” Donate Now With access to eyecare, an eye test and a simple pair of spectacles, getting a job and an education is easier. Life starts to look clearer and the future brighter. We believe everyone should have access to eyecare, no matter where they live. Do you? With your help we can raise a minimum of £15,000 to provide: One motorbike for the Koidu Vision Centre in Kono District; Fuel and maintenance costs for two years, for motorbikes at the three other Vision Centres to be used on twice weekly trips to rural communities; Portable eye care equipment; Communications in print, community meetings and on radio, to raise awareness about eye health; And change thousands of lives for the better! Donate Now Or set up your own fundraising event >>> You can also text to give: To donate £1, text VISION21 to 70201To donate £3, text VISION21 to 70331To donate £5, text VISION21 to 70970To donate £10, text VISION21 to 70191 Lansana and Ismail Vision for a Village will take place across four districts (Kailahun, Kono, Kenema and Bombali) in the east and north of Sierra Leone. Before 2013 these areas had no optometry or spectacle dispensing services at all. Since then, we’ve supported the setup of four Vision Centres and training of 14 Optometry Technicians, including Lansana and Ismail. We are working with local government to train more healthcare professionals at the community level in eye health and provide school based eyecare for teachers and students. However, it will take time for these changes to reach most rural or vulnerable patients. These districts have very few eyecare professionals working in them. For example, Kailahun district has only two people who can provide eye tests and glasses to for a population of over half a million. Those two people are Lansana and Ismail, pictured above, who are Optometry Technicians working at a Vision Centre we set up in Kailahun hospital. Lansana and Ismail estimate that only 20% of the people in Kailahun District are able to visit them in the hospital to get eyecare. “We are worried that these are some of the poorest people in the world, but also the most in need of eye tests and glasses. You see, having poor eyesight means that you can’t educate yourself or get a job, so you are destined to remain poor for the rest of your life.” “Unless we reach these people, they will not receive the glasses they so desperately need to give them the chance to escape their poverty. Even worse, they may even lose their eyesight from eye diseases that go undetected.” “The poorest people can’t come to us, but we can go to them!” Will you help Lansana and Ismail to get the equipment they need? The benefits If people in remote villages can be visited by eyecare professionals, it means they can get an eye test and glasses. Once they can see clearly their chances of getting better work and education improve. Being seen by eye health professionals can prevent the deterioration of eyesight and blindness, as diseases are spotted early, and timely referrals made for further care. Eye health professionals can also raise awareness in rural communities about the importance of eye health and of wearing glasses. Having eyecare go to remote villages also means there is less disruption to the lives of those people, as they do not have to travel or spend money on transport. How you can help You can help Vision for a Village by donating now. Just £5 can provide an eye test and glasses for one person. Donate Now You could set up your own fundraising event, from a sponsored run to a virtual pub quiz. To find out more about creating your own event click here >>> If you run an optical practice you could run events with your colleagues and customers, or simply put up posters or post social media messages to raise awareness about Vision for a Village. To find our more and see our Vision for a Village resources click here >>> To find out more about how we are improving eyecare in Sierra Leone for the long term please click here >>>