Excited learners at New Orleans Primary school were on the receiving end of new spectacles, for the first time in their lives!
They say giving is more important than receiving. But imagining the pure joy on a child’s face when receiving free glasses and gaining full value from their education to kick-start their school year is a gift in itself.
Thanks to Vodacom, learners between grade 1 to 7 in the Paarl, Cape Town can now have their eyes tested and receive free glasses. Vodacom has purchased 369 pairs of glasses worth R80 000 to be provided to learns who come from disadvantaged communities.
“Vodacom recognises that literacy is a crucial cornerstone for successful education. Yet, many children struggle to learn to read and write at school not because they are incapable, but because they have impaired vision.”
With that in mind, it would seem a simple issue to address: It is estimated that glasses can correct the impaired vision of six out of 10 children in South Africa. The challenge lies in that only 20% of these children needing glasses have the resources to acquire them.
The lack of access to affordable vision care is caused by several factors, including the inability to afford private visual screening, a lack of vision care knowledge among parents and teachers, and limited public service optometry in rural areas.
In response to this challenge, Vodacom is supporting the Gift of Vision programme in partnership with the Western Cape Health Department and the Health Foundation. The programme provides young underprivileged children with the gift of vision through the sponsorship of screenings and glasses.
This is the first time that Vodacom is partnering with the Gift of vision programme.
Alberts Breed, Managing Director of Vodacom Western Cape explains: “We recognise the critical role that vision plays in education. Through the Gift of Vision we are determined to help provide the means to these school children to have their eyes tested and their vision corrected – so that they may gain the full value from their education.
“Our partnership with the Health Foundation and the Western Cape Health Department will be a direct, effective way of addressing this challenge head-on and making a very real difference to the way of life for these learners, and their families.”
Vodacom is supporting the Gift of Vision programme in partnership with the Western Cape Health Department and the Health Foundation. The programme provides underprivileged children with the gift of vision through the sponsorship of screenings and glasses.
“It would be a tragedy if the reason children cannot read is not because they do not have the ability but because they cannot see properly.” – Debbie Schӓfer, Western Cape Minister of Education
“It is a privilege and our commitment as the Western Cape Department of Health to partner with the private sector in meeting the needs of our communities. It takes the whole of society to bring about change and we applaud Vodacom for taking up this much needed initiative,” says Dr Nomafrench Mbombo, Western Cape Minister of Health
The National Integrated School Health Policy has been implemented in schools and aims to bring health care for children directly. School nurses will screen for various health and wellness indicators.
Should a child require glasses, an optometrist contracted to the Department of Health will test the students eyes and prescribe the glasses needed. The glasses will take 2 weeks to be made up and delivered directly to the student at school in a protective case. The students will then be taught how to care for their glasses.
Vodacom ConnectForGood allows Vodacom employees to make contributions to specific upliftment programmes, community development initiatives and any other causes that they are passionate about. Employees volunteer their skills, time and resources, depending on their abilities and what the needs are.
An intranet platform lists all participating NGOs, so that Vodacom employees can match what they can provide with what is required by these organisations.
“We are confident – and determined – that through Vodacom ConnectForGood we will be able to make a continued difference in the lives of our fellow citizens, both with large projects like the Gift of Vision, and by making our individual contributions,”
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