SCHOOL STORIES
All over the world, children leave school early because they cannot see properly. The chances of a lifetime can be lost due to the lack of simple glasses.
SCHOOL STORIES
All over the world, children leave school early because they cannot see properly. The chances of a lifetime can be lost due to the lack of simple glasses.
Schoolgirl Burkina Faso | © Martin Aufmuth
FIRST GRADER
In the Matandani School in Malawi, 220 first graders sit on the floor of their classroom. Their teacher complains, “The children in the first three rows never pay attention, they just look out the window.” After finishing their eye tests, we find that many of the children need glasses. They are now laughing happily with their new glasses.
PRACTICE TOGETHER
The OneDollarGlasses team (in Malawi) visits schools and performs an eye test with each child. To start with, the team explains what the test is about and practices together with all the children.
FIRST EYE TEST
The children have never had an eye test in their life and naturally, the tension is high, but the technicians help to reduce the stress with smiles and encouragement.
ADJUSTMENT OF GLASSES
Once a pair of glasses are found in the desired color, they are correctly adjusted.
FINALLY ABLE TO WRITE FOR HERSELF
This student from a school in Zomba (Malawi) tells us that she could never do her homework by herself because she could not see very well. Her friend had to read everything to her and then needed to write down her answers. It was not entirely clear which of the two was happier about the glasses!
ALMOST BLIND WITH OVER 6 DIOPTERS
Thalia Silver Quartra (14 yrs. old) from Brazil volunteered to help us admit patients for a whole day. By the end of the campaign, we discovered that her vision was quite poor, as she could barely see anything clearly.
THALIA WANTS TO BE A DOCTOR
The eye test showed that her vision needed +7 and +8 diopters to be corrected. When she put on the glasses, she was strangely touched, but then increasingly enthusiastic, because it was suddenly so easy to see. She said she had always had a headache and didn’t know the cause. Someday, Thalia would like to become a doctor, and we think she would make a great one!
DALIA
Dalia (10 yrs. old) lives with her mother and brother in a small hut in the “Villa Nova Esperanza” favela on the outskirts of São Paolo (Brazil). Her brother Hobson (17 yrs. old) has been working in eyewear production for some time. He saves his money and hopes to study geography one day.
IN THE FAVELA
“Villa Nova Esperanza” means “City of New Hope”
PROUD OF HER BROTHER
Today Dalia wore her new glasses for the first time in school. She is totally proud of her big brother. She says, “Nobody at school believed me that my brother made my glasses himself.”
Photos: Martin Aufmuth