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• 640 million people - 10% of the world's population - are disadvantaged by poor vision and a lack of spectacles.
• 123 million people (2% of the world’s population / 23% of the total number of those who are visually impaired) cannot see properly because they are short or long-sighted , conditions that can easily be treated with a simple pair of glasses.
• 13 million children around the world need glasses. Many of these children risk missing their education because they can’t see well enough to learn.

The main reasons people cannot get glasses in low-and
middle-income countries are: a lack of trained eye care professionals, inadequate facilities to get an eye test and to manufacture glasses and because the high cost of glasses is often too expensive for the average citizen.

Vision Aid Overseas is an international charity currently working in 6 developing countries to fight poverty by transforming access to eye care.

This is Zaria’s story: https://youtu.be/9Um45e-r_V0

In September 2016 I will be going on an assignment with Vision Aid Overseas to Cape Coast in Ghana along with a team of 6 other Optometrists! The first part of the trip will involve training/supervising final year students studying to be doctors in Optometry and during the second part of our trip all of us (including the students) will go on an outreach placement to provide basic eye care (eye testing and glasses) to those who have not had access to this before. We will help people like 44 year old Charles who can now continue to work and support his family. You can read
Charles’ full story here: http://www.visionaidoverseas.org/case-studies/36/charles-chisulo

If a country is to become self-sufficient in eye care services,
there must be enough skilled staff to do the job. That is why Vision Aid
Overseas puts such emphasis on training for doctors, nurses, ophthalmic clinical officers and technicians. Here is a video
of previous final year students who have been trained by Vision Aid Overseas volunteers in Ghana: https://youtu.be/g8bTjDqrOaU

This is why I am going to Ghana and I am aiming to raise
£2000 before my trip in September!

Just £108 can pay for a week's training for an Optometry technician.

Just £60 can pay for 20 pairs of spectacles. This enables children to go to school and mothers and fathers to feed their families!

Just £22 can pay for a days training for an eye care worker!

Just £5 can give a child the sight they needs to go to school.

For all of you that wear glasses and rely on them to see, imagine a life without them. Would you be able to go to work? Would you be able to provide for your family? Would you be able to carry out basic daily tasks?

I know I wouldn't be able to...

Please dig deep and donate so that VAO can continue to improve access to eye care and transform the lives of people like Zaria and Charles!

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. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.