The project is a joint Cardiff University and Cwmbran Vale Rotary project, which has been running for 8 years and has already reached out to over 20,000 people in desperate need of visual correction. The trip was originally based in Romania until organisers decided to branch out to other places in Europe that suffer from extreme poverty and are in dire need of optometric care.

This year, due to the success in the past, a team of six student volunteers and four supervisors will be journeying to Moldova at the end of July. The aim is to provide free sight tests and spectacles to over 1,600 individuals during our stay, which will significantly improve the quality of life for thousands of people in communities who otherwise would have no opportunity for such care.

Moldova is the poorest country in Europe with lots of people in desperate need of basic health care. During our stay we intend to help over 1,600 people of all ages, spending time in different village communities and travelling to various rural areas. Providing visual aid to individuals will allow education to flourish and thus increasing their chances at gaining jobs, resulting in the development of their communities and therefore leading to a better quality of life. Each member of the team will be travelling out this summer for 5 days and are extremely passionate about this project and the practice of optometry. We cannot wait to begin our work out there.

In order for this project to run successfully, each student volunteer has to raise a minimum of £600 each; a total of £3600. This sum will be used to cover the cost of all spectacles and flights, but the more money we raise, the more spectacles we can buy, and the more people we can help.

Please help support this wonderful cause and DONATE!