Vision Aid
Overseas
helping the world to
see
Vision Aid
helping
the world
Overseas
to see…
Schools’ presentation
Vision Aid
Overseas
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
helping the world to
see
Vision Aid
Overseas
helping the world to
see
Where do we work?
•
Vision Aid Overseas works in
seven countries in Africa and in
India.
Vision Aid
Overseas
helping the world to
see
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).
Vision Aid
Overseas
helping the world to
see
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.
Vision Aid
Overseas
helping the world to
see
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.
Vision Aid
Overseas
helping the world to
see
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.
Vision Aid
Overseas
helping the world to
see
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.”
Vision Aid
Overseas
helping the world to
see
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
Vision Aid
Overseas
helping the world to
see
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.
Vision Aid
Overseas
helping the world to
see
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!)
Vision Aid
Overseas
helping the world to
see
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.
Vision Aid
Overseas
helping the world to
see
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
Vision Aid
Overseas
helping the world to
see
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
Vision Aid
Overseas
helping the world to
see
How do we work?
•
Vision Aid Overseas works in
three ways:
1.By establishing Vision Centres
where our patients can visit an
optician and buy an affordable
pair of glasses if they need
them.
2.By training opticians in
developing countries.
3.By sending opticians to work in
very remote locations to reach
the poorest people and to
ensure that they have the
Vision Aid
Overseas
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.
helping the world to
see
Vision Aid
Overseas
helping the world to
see
Thank you very much
Vision Aid Overseas, 12 The Bell Centre, Newton Road, Manor Royal, Crawley, West Sussex,
RH10 9FZ
Tel: 01293 535016 •
Fax: 01293 535026
•
Web: www.vao.org.uk
•
Email:
info@vao.org.uk
Company Limited by Guarantee no: 4027804
Registered charity (in England) no: 1081695