Thursday, August 25, 2005
Volunteering Kenya, 2006
Hi all,
As some of you may be aware, after my - quite literally - life changing experience in Sri Lanka earlier this year I have now embarked on a new direction in my career and my life. This is in the area of international humanitarianism and development.
(For those of you not aware of my time in Sri Lanka early this year: www.envisionous.com/srilanka2005/)
As the first step of this new career, and prior to studying a post graduate degree in the field in 2007, I will be spending 6 months to a year from January 2006 in Kenya working with a non-profit organisation called Unite for Sight (www.uniteforsight.org) - "earning my stripes" so to speak. I've always been wary of those so called "experts" who have gained all their knowledge from books and the media, and hence want to get my hands dirty in the field before I then gain the academic knowledge and qualifications to add to and compliment that.
My role will involve the implementation of eye health education programs, screening for eye diseases, prescribing of eyeglasses, and the coordination of sight-restoring surgery for children and adults (no, I won't be cutting open eyes myself, I might just leave that for the suitably qualified experts!). With up to 80% of blindness being preventable, and the basic day-to-day practicalities that being able to see clearly enables, I am hoping to make a very real difference to a number of small communities at least during my time there.
One of my most important requirements prior to leaving - and this is where you guys come in - is to collect at least 300 pairs of reading glasses and sunglasses to take with me. Yep, 300. Quite a lot and hence why I need the help of my family, friends, colleagues, team mates... their family and friends... and any other acquaintances or even complete strangers you might know of that may have some old eyeglasses kicking about the place. Or perhaps it's just time for a new look, and you can spare your current pair?
This is important. Unite for Sight is run purely by volunteers such as myself and others, who give our own time, money and efforts into helping as humbly as we are able to. Unite for Sight don't have the money to purchase eyeglasses, and I am busy saving money that will be used for living and operational expenses. Donations of the kind I'm asking for are what enables this organisation to continue to be the success they have so far been. More information on that is available from their website, but I did my research.
On the practical side, as for getting the eyeglasses to me, it obviously makes no sense cost-wise to post a single pair at a time. For those of you who will see me in person, then the single or multiple eyeglasses you collect can be handed over. For those with geographical barriers to this, I would ask that you either wait until you have collected a number of eyeglasses or else coordinate with a number of people in your area. If you want to contact me about this, I can put you in touch with others in your area to do this. This includes those friends I have overseas, there are always ways around supposed "barriers", whatever they might be.
If you are able to help, then please get in touch with me and we can work out the best way forward. I need to collect the eyeglasses within the next 3 months, as I have to have them all tested by a "lensometre" at an optometrist's office and labelled before I go.
Anyway guys, thanks for your time on this, and hopefully most of you will be able to help in some small way. Please pass this on to friends, family, work colleagues, and whoever else might conceivably be able to help at all. The more eyeglasses I can collect the more people I can help.
Take care,
David [more]
As some of you may be aware, after my - quite literally - life changing experience in Sri Lanka earlier this year I have now embarked on a new direction in my career and my life. This is in the area of international humanitarianism and development.
(For those of you not aware of my time in Sri Lanka early this year: www.envisionous.com/srilanka2005/)
As the first step of this new career, and prior to studying a post graduate degree in the field in 2007, I will be spending 6 months to a year from January 2006 in Kenya working with a non-profit organisation called Unite for Sight (www.uniteforsight.org) - "earning my stripes" so to speak. I've always been wary of those so called "experts" who have gained all their knowledge from books and the media, and hence want to get my hands dirty in the field before I then gain the academic knowledge and qualifications to add to and compliment that.
My role will involve the implementation of eye health education programs, screening for eye diseases, prescribing of eyeglasses, and the coordination of sight-restoring surgery for children and adults (no, I won't be cutting open eyes myself, I might just leave that for the suitably qualified experts!). With up to 80% of blindness being preventable, and the basic day-to-day practicalities that being able to see clearly enables, I am hoping to make a very real difference to a number of small communities at least during my time there.
One of my most important requirements prior to leaving - and this is where you guys come in - is to collect at least 300 pairs of reading glasses and sunglasses to take with me. Yep, 300. Quite a lot and hence why I need the help of my family, friends, colleagues, team mates... their family and friends... and any other acquaintances or even complete strangers you might know of that may have some old eyeglasses kicking about the place. Or perhaps it's just time for a new look, and you can spare your current pair?
This is important. Unite for Sight is run purely by volunteers such as myself and others, who give our own time, money and efforts into helping as humbly as we are able to. Unite for Sight don't have the money to purchase eyeglasses, and I am busy saving money that will be used for living and operational expenses. Donations of the kind I'm asking for are what enables this organisation to continue to be the success they have so far been. More information on that is available from their website, but I did my research.
On the practical side, as for getting the eyeglasses to me, it obviously makes no sense cost-wise to post a single pair at a time. For those of you who will see me in person, then the single or multiple eyeglasses you collect can be handed over. For those with geographical barriers to this, I would ask that you either wait until you have collected a number of eyeglasses or else coordinate with a number of people in your area. If you want to contact me about this, I can put you in touch with others in your area to do this. This includes those friends I have overseas, there are always ways around supposed "barriers", whatever they might be.
If you are able to help, then please get in touch with me and we can work out the best way forward. I need to collect the eyeglasses within the next 3 months, as I have to have them all tested by a "lensometre" at an optometrist's office and labelled before I go.
Anyway guys, thanks for your time on this, and hopefully most of you will be able to help in some small way. Please pass this on to friends, family, work colleagues, and whoever else might conceivably be able to help at all. The more eyeglasses I can collect the more people I can help.
Take care,
David [more]
posted by Dave | 12:40 AM |
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