Youth Action

Your Child Can Make A Difference - Involve Youth In Improving Global Health

"I lived next to the village midwife, and the midwife's husband sometimes took over duties if she was away. I came to visit one night while he was setting up an injection to give some man whose chief complaint was being tired. He spent about 5 full minutes loading the syringe with the antibiotic and then injected the man. He aimed the needle for the bottle of antibiotic and missed by about an inch. I thought he was joking at first. He later told me that he was nearly blind in one eye, but couldn't have the surgery. It was very expensive, and he was afraid that the doctor might make a mistake, and then he would be left without his eyesight. Since he is a farmer, he needs his sight to support his family. He pulled out a pair of broken glasses occasionally, but he said they didn't help much. He asked me to bring back a good pair of glasses when I return from America. This is not a poor man by the village standards; he is better off than most, and he is the only person I have seen in the village with any glasses, even if they are broken."

-Diana Rickard, Founder of Ghana Health and Education Initiative, Unite For Sight partner

Did you know?

• 80% of all blindness is preventable, and 90% of blindness is in developing countries
• 1.4 million children (age 14 and under) in the world are blind
• Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of childhood blindness
• 85 million are exposed to riverblindness in Africa and Latin America, and 17 million become infected. 1-2 million are blind due to riverblindness, which is transmitted by black flies
• 150 million are infected, and 6 million are blind from trachoma

The ophthalmic resources in developing countries fail to meet the needs of the community. In Benin, for example, only five ophthalmologists serve the entire country’s population. The ratio of ophthalmologist to the population is therefore 1:1,279,180. The waiting list to see an ophthalmologist in Benin for eyeglasses is four months long, and the price for glasses can exceed three months’ average salary. Likewise, the total number of ophthalmologists in Kenya is fifty, with thirty of the doctors in Nairobi City. The ratio of ophthalmologists to population is 1:600,000.

Encourage your child to start a Unite For Sight Eyeglass Drive!

About the Unite For Sight Eyeglass Drive:

The "Unite for Sight Eyeglass Drive" helps people in developing countries who need eyeglasses. The eyeglasses and sunglasses that you collect will be sent all over the world to places like Ghana, Tanzania, Benin, Uganda, Cameroon, Kenya, Thailand, and India.  Eyeglasses can be collected by placing Rubbermaid bins with Unite for Sight posters around schools, local libraries, shopping centers, hospitals, and eye care centers.

Why should your child help?

• Over 1 billion people in developing countries need eyeglasses but cannot afford them.
• Over 4 million pairs of eyeglasses are thrown away each year in North America.
• 25% of the global population needs eyeglasses.
• 50% of children in institutions for the blind in Africa would be able to read normal or large print if they had eyeglasses.

What Can Your Child Do?

• Ask teachers and staff if they will keep Unite for Sight eyeglass bins in the classroom, school library, or front office.
• Ask your parents or a teacher to help you contact local eye doctors for permission to put your eyeglass bins in their offices.
• Make posters and flyers and place them around your school and community. Include the purpose, how people can get involved, and how they can get information about the drive.
• Have yourself and fellow classmates make T-shirts (using paints and pens) with facts about the need for eyeglasses worldwide in order to spread awareness.
• Plan group activities to involve your classmates and you community (car washes, parties, games, etc.) Ask eye doctors and teachers with bins to help organize the events with you.
• Press releases, such as the one below, can be issued to the media by a parent or teacher. Students can release their own "press release" through their school's morning announcements if possible.

Press Releases

Ask someone to help you contact your local news channel or newspaper and inform them of the drive. Tell the media where bins are located, how people can get involved, and if there are any special events concerning the drive coming up.  Here is an example of a press release that can be used:

Unite For Sight Eyeglass Drive

My name is _________, and I am _______ years old. I started a Unite For Sight Eyeglass Drive at _______ School to collect eyeglasses that will be sent to African countries to help other children see. Over 1 billion people in developing countries need eyeglasses but cannot afford them, and over 4 million eyeglasses are thrown away each year in North America.

The nonprofit organization Unite for Sight helped me start the eyeglass drive, and the organization's volunteers will bring the eyeglasses that I collect to schools in African countries.

Members of the ___________(your town's name) community are encouraged to donate used prescription eyeglasses or non prescription UV-protected sunglasses, which will be prescribed in Ghana, Tanzania, Benin, Uganda, Cameroon, Kenya, Thailand, and India.  Collection bins are located in _________________.

Unite For Sight is a 501©3 nonprofit organization that tackles eye and health care issues. With sixty chapters established at universities and medical schools, Unite For Sight has an international network of 1,500 students who work to build healthier communities through disease prevention, eye health promotion, and health education. Each chapter works with local community infrastructures to improve access to health programs, and our primary objective is to prevent blindness.

For further information, send e-mail to ________ or visit Unite For Sight's website www.uniteforsight.org