Thanks to Vision for a Nation, many people in Rwanda are receiving free eye examinations and, if needed, free eyeglasses. The Vision for a Nation Program was founded in 2009 with the goal to provide universal access to eyeglasses, beginning with the people of Rwanda. The program is governed by the Vision for a Nation Foundation, a charity registered and based in the United Kingdom. It has recently been awarded a £250,000 (approximately $380,000) Global Poverty Action Fund Innovation grant from the UK government. Private donations also make up a considerable funding source for the charity.
In April 2012, Vision for a Nation was granted international non-governmental organization (INGO) status by the Rwandan government, which means that it's recognized as a non-profit international philanthropist organization. INGO status was granted following renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding between Vision for a Nation Foundation and the Rwandan Ministry of Health.
Vision for a Nation Executive Director Sjoerd Hannema holds a Master degree in Law from Leiden University in Holland and has over 20 years of international experience in the consumer goods industry.
Massimo Presente joined Vision for a Nation in January 2012 as the Country Director for Rwanda. He has more than 20 years of international development experience, working in various countries including Ethiopia, India, and China. Mr. Presente spent eight years working for ORBIS International, a non-governmental organization (NGO) devoted to blindness prevention with a special focus on childhood blindness in developing countries.
The Program in Rwanda
According to Vision for a Nation, there are only 4 optometrists and 10 ophthalmologists to serve the Rwandan population of 10 million. Almost 85 percent of the population lives in rural areas with limited eye care. 57 percent of the population lives in poverty, unable to afford eyeglasses. The Government of Rwanda has endorsed the Vision for a Nation program and the distribution of eyeglasses as part of the implementation of its national eye care plan.
Within five years, Vision for a Nation's goal is to screen all Rwandans eight years and older, and provide glasses to those who need them. The program is being conducted in three phases:
Phase 1: Setting Up Distribution and Beginning Assessments
The first phase began in August 2010 and concluded in September 2011. During this time, 2,038 Rwandans had a vision assessment, and more than 700 people received eyeglasses. A distribution method was designed, involving training nurses to conduct vision assessments and provide glasses when needed.
Phase 2: Training and Distribution
The money awarded to Vision for a Nation by the UK government is earmarked for this phase, which began in March 2012 and is expected to conclude June 2013. The goal of this phase is to use 417 community health centers throughout Rwanda for trained nurses to perform examinations and provide glasses if needed. Up to 1,600 nurses will be trained, and they, in turn, will train approximately 1,500 community health workers and 500 school teachers. Vision for a Nation estimates that 425,000 Rwandans, age eight years and older, will receive free vision assessments during Phase 2 with up to 30,000 pairs of eyeglasses provided to those who need them.
Phase 3
This phase will run from 2013 to 2015 and build upon the groundwork of Phase 2. By the completion of Phase 3 of the project, it is the goal of Vision for a Nation for every Rwandan eight years and older to have had a vision assessment and receive eyeglasses if necessary.
The Glasses
Vision for a Nation currently distributes several types of glasses. Their website states that up to 90 percent of refractive errors can be corrected. If an individual can benefit from reading glasses, they receive a pre-made pair. The adjustable glasses are made by Adlens, a UK company which was formed in 2005. There are two types of glasses being used: Fluid-Injection and Emergensee. Adlens donates an additional pair of glasses to Vision for a Nation for every Fluid-Injection pair that is purchased. The glasses are available for purchase in many countries, including England and the United States. All the Adlens glasses have frames, nose pieces, and arms that can be adjusted to fit each individual.
Fluid-Injection Lenses
Fluid-Injection lens technology was originally developed to provide vision correction in less-developed countries with their primary features being that they are easily adjusted and users can obtain their glasses immediately. The refractive power of the lens is adjusted through the reservoirs of the optically-clear silicon in the polycarbonate lens. Once the adjustment is complete, the dispenser can seal off the lens. Hemisphere Glasses, which use this fluid injection technology, are available with clear lenses or as sunglasses, and can be set for near, intermediate, and distance vision. They can also help correct presbyopia, a vision condition in which the crystalline lens of the eye loses its flexibility and makes it difficult to focus on close objects.
John Lennon Collection
Adlens has designed glasses that look similar to those worn by John Lennon with the iconic round shape. These glasses can be used for near, intermediate, and distance vision. They have aspheric lenses, which gradually change in curvature from the center out to the edge (as compared with conventional lenses with the same curve across the whole surface) and can help improve peripheral vision.
In an Adlens press release, Lennon's wife, Yoko Ono, comments, "Adlens' technology is such an interesting concept with such amazing potential that really captures the imagination. I am sure John would be proud to be associated with the glasses and the ethos behind them."
Emergensee Glasses
Emergensee glasses are smaller than the Hemisphere and Lennon glasses, and they use Alvarez technology, whereby an oval lens is situated within a rectangular lens. Knobs on each side of the glasses are turned to slide the lenses across each other until optimum focus is achieved. The glasses are continuously adjustable for near, intermediate, and distance tasks.
Impact of the Program
The Vision for a Nation website has several stories and videos on how receiving glasses has had an impact on the lives of Rwandans. Below are four story excerpts; read all stories on the site by activating the "Stories" link on the homepage.
Alysi
Alysi is a tailor in the village of Nyirangogo. His near vision was failing, which made it difficult for him to thread the needle on his sewing machine and forced him to rely on relatives or passers by to do it for him. This decreased his productivity because assistance isn't always available, and as a result, he was making less money. Alysi was overjoyed to receive his new reading glasses, and he can now thread the needle without assistance.
Godance
Godance lives in the village of Nyankokoma where she is a farmer, shopkeeper, student, and mother of six. All her life she had "fuzzy vision." She received a pair of adjustable glasses and said, "Wow! Beautiful! I really can see."
Justin
Justin is a student who was having difficulty reading the blackboard, but his family could not afford to send him to the optometrist to get glasses. He received a free vision assessment and within 20 minutes had a new pair of glasses. This would have taken many years of saving and traveling a great distance if Justin's family had to get glasses from an optometrist.
Denys
Denys is a farmer living in Sabiro with his wife and six children. He received his first vision assessment thanks to Vision for a Nation, and they determined he needed glasses for distance and near vision. He received two pairs of glasses, one for distance and one for reading. He can now safely travel to the market and read to his children.
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