In January 2018, I will be travelling to Gondar, Ethiopia as a member of a team of six volunteer eye care professionals.

To say I'm very excited would be an understatement! Part of our two week programme will be spent training in the University of Gondar College of Medicine and Health Sciences. We aim to provide essential training to students and the University staff in order for them to deliver much needed eyecare services to their wider communities.

I have been a glasses wearer majority of my life and like lots of others I would not like to imagine my life without my prescription!

The most common cause of visual impairment worldwide is uncorrected refractive error, affecting approximately 670 million people - 10% of the world's population. 

Refractive error is a common eye condition where the eye cannot focus clearly causing blurred vision. All that is needed to treat refractive error is a simple pair of spectacles!

£5 can pay for Vision Aid Overseas to provide an eye examination and a pair of glasses

£10 can pay for the raw materials needed to manufacture three pairs of glasses at a Vision Centre

£22 can pay for a day’s training for an eye care worker – giving them the skills needed to provide a service in their community all year round

The rest of our 2 week programme will be spent in the local community correcting refractive error and assessing for abnormalities in ocular health. These people risk being unable to work, get an education and care for their families because their sight isn't good enough. 

Vision Aid Overseas is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) which utilises the professional skills of optical volunteers to establish Vision Centres and train eye care workers.

Since the charity was founded in 1985, it has helped over 1 million people to see in countries such as Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Zambia.  Donations from fundraising are vital for the charity to continue its operations overseas.

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