Karen Sparrow
Karen's Running for VAO - Again!
Fundraising for Vision Action
Story
I did it! I did it! I did it! Wonders will never cease and I did it in 1 hour 48 minutes and 50 seconds. Back to a hot shower and collapse but I seem to have suffered no ill efects! Thankyou to all my fabulous sponsors I helped me reach my target for Vision aid Overseas - helping the world to see! I will leave this page open for a little longer as several of you have said you still want to sponsor...
I am now officially giving up running. Forever. Again.
I am now officially giving up running. Forever. Again.
Of course the whole point is to raise money to continue Vision Aid Overseas good work in Africa. I have just come back from my 4th Project in August 2010 - teaching nurses to test eyes and then running outreach clinics in Northern Zambia. Just seeing the smiles when you give someone glasses is worth its weight in gold - from kids like Shikwe and Jimmy, to Obey, the boy at 'blind school' who just needed specs to get a normal education. Knowing that those we can't help with glasses will be operated on for cataracts by local surgeons is great too. I hope to do another project next year so any donation, however small, will help VAO continue its work in 2011.
What your support could buy...
£3 could pay for an eye test for a child, £18 could cover the cost of an hour's supervised training for a Vision Aid Overseas refractionist, £60 could pay for vital raw materials for spectacles such as lenses and frames to be used in a Vision Centre Workshop, and £143 could pay for an entire day of sight testing by a Vision Aid Overseas project volunteer like me!
For 25 years VAO have been helping some of the poorest people in the world gain better sight. Whether it be a teacher in Ghana that was no longer able to see their pupils' work, a seamstress in Zambia who could no longer see to thread a needle, or a school pupil in India diagnosed blind when really they are just short sighted. Deteriorating sight can have a devastating impact on people's lives and livelihoods.Vision Aid Overseas and its professional volunteers have shown that something as simple as a pair of glasses with the correct prescription can turn such potential despair into hope. Eyecare services are beyond the reach of most people in the developing world. At Vision Aid Overseas we believe that everyone has a right to an eye test, and if needed, glasses to help correct poor sight.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. And remember to gift aid - it means more money goes to VAO!
So please help Shikwe and his friends...