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Vision Aid Overseas. helping the world to see…. Schools’ presentation. What is Vision Aid Overseas?. Vision Aid Overseas is a charity dedicated to helping people in developing countries who need glasses to see well.
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Vision Aid Overseas helping the world to see… Schools’ presentation
What is Vision Aid Overseas? Vision Aid Overseas is a charity dedicated to helping people in developing countries who need glasses to see well. 10% of the world’s population need glasses but don’t have them because of poverty and the lack of opticians and places to buy glasses. Vision Aid Overseas sends opticians from Britain and Ireland to work in developing countries as volunteers. Our volunteers help people to see better by testing their eyes and providing glasses.
Where do we work? Vision Aid Overseas works in seven countries in Africa and in India.
Burkina Faso Burkina Faso is a country in West Africa. Vision Aid Overseas has worked there since 2001. The population of Burkina Faso is 15.7 million. It is the only country we work in which is French speaking (all the others are English speaking).
Ethiopia Ethiopia is in the ‘Horn of Africa’. Vision Aid Overseas has worked there since 2001. The population of Ethiopia is 85.2 million. Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa. It used to be called Abyssinia.
Ghana Ghana is a country in West Africa. Vision Aid Overseas has worked there since 1989. The population of Ghana is 23.8 million. Ghana was the first sub-Saharan country to achieve independence from the British Empire in 1957.
Malawi Malawi is a country in south-east Africa. Vision Aid Overseas has worked there since 1990. The population of Malawi is 15 million. Malawi’s nickname is ‘the Warm Heat of Africa’ and it is considered to be an extremely beautiful country.
Sierra Leone Sierra Leone is a country in West Africa. Vision Aid Overseas has worked there since 1989. The population of Sierra Leone is 6.4 million. Sierra Leone suffered a disastrous civil war for much of the 1990s. The country’s name means “Lion Mountains.”
Uganda Uganda is a country in East Africa. Vision Aid Overseas has worked there since 1991. The population of Uganda is 32.3 million. A former British colony, Uganda is an extremely diverse country with many different nationalities and cultures. It is a landlocked country, but it bordered to the south by the enormous Lake Victoria.
Zambia Zambia is a country in Southern Africa. Vision Aid Overseas has worked there since 1999. The population of Zambia is 12.9 million. Zambia takes its name from the Zambezi River that flows through it. It is the location of the stunning Victoria Falls – the largest waterfall in the world.
India India is a vast country that cover the Indian sub-continent in Asia. It is the only country Vision Aid Overseas works in which is not in Africa. Vision Aid Overseas has worked there since 1986 - which makes it our longest-standing partner country. The population of India is 1.2 billion. (It is the second most populous country in the world!) India is the most culturally diverse country in the world. It is the world’s most populous democracy.
Why do we work? Poor vision can have devastating consequences on people’s lives if they don’t have glasses. It can stop people going to school. It can stop people from working – which means they can’t afford to look after their families. It can lead to disability because some people have such poor vision that they are blind.
Steven from Zambia Steven lived at an orphanage in Zambia. He was very bright but his poor vision was making it difficult for him to learn how to read and write. His teacher was going to stop him coming to school because he was holding the class back – this would mean he would never get an education! With a new pair of glasses Steven was able to learn how to read and write – he is now one of the top students in his class.
Mercy from Ghana Mercy is a teacher from Ghana. Her poor vision was making it very difficult to mark her students’ work because she got very bad headaches early in the morning. She was about to leave her job which would mean that the students would not have a literacy teacher. With her glasses Mercy was able to see perfectly and continue working. This made her very happy. Mercy did not need a very strong pair of glasses – but she needed them to be able to work properly.
How do we work? Vision Aid Overseas works in three ways: • By establishing Vision Centres where our patients can visit an optician and buy an affordable pair of glasses if they need them. • By training opticians in developing countries. • By sending opticians to work in very remote locations to reach the poorest people and to ensure that they have the glasses they need.
How can you support Vision Aid Overseas? Tell people that 10% of the world’s population simply need glasses to live an ordinary life. Remind your friends and family that glasses are very easy to take for granted in Britain and Ireland because there are so many opticians and optical shops. (And don’t forget to remind people to have their eyes tested regularly!) By raising money for Vision Aid Overseas to support our work in Africa and India.
