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Day 24

Glasses for a child in Rwanda

Affordable glasses Affordable glasses

Glasses for a child in Rwanda
Day 24
by qualified opticians

Around 150 million people in the world need glasses but cannot afford them. Without glasses, they cannot learn, work or provide for their families. In Rwanda, the high population density, structural problems and recurring conflicts between the Hutus and Tutsis are causing persistent poverty. The country's government is under criticism for, among other things, a lack of press freedom. In order for the younger generation to be able to demand their right to press freedom again, children must be able to read and write. To do this, many need glasses.

by qualified opticians
need
Glasses for people with low vision
activity
Glasses are made on site by opticians
Measurable performance
Number of people who were able to receive glasses
Result
Number of people who were able to return to their activities (school or work) thanks to the glasses
Systemically relevant impact
Noticeable improvement in the living, educational and working conditions of the children and adults affected
background

A study by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2006 found that vision tests and glasses could significantly improve the lives of 150 million people who suffer from impaired vision. Without the possibility of correcting their poor eyesight, the career opportunities of people in developing countries are significantly limited. According to the WHO, 13 million children (aged 5 to 15) in particular suffer from poor eyesight. This means they cannot follow lessons at school as well and many career paths are blocked as a result.

Day 24 Day 24
The good deed

The OneDollarGlasses consist of an extremely light and stable spring steel frame and two break-proof, surface-hardened plastic lenses that can be inserted into the frame without the use of tools. Two colorful beads turn each pair of glasses into a small piece of jewelry. The glasses can be made by local people using a simple bending device specially developed for this purpose. In a 14-day intensive training course, women and men are trained as OneDollarGlasses opticians. A bending unit (complete optician equipment) costs around 2,000 euros. This means that around 30,000 pairs of glasses can be made per year. The total material and manufacturing costs for one pair of glasses are just under one US dollar (around 75 euro cents) and are covered by the sale of the glasses. In order to make the project known, these glasses will first be donated to the poorest of the poor with the support of 24guteTaten.

AboutRwanda
Kigali
Kigali
Capital city
10,537,222 (2012)
10,537,222 (2012)
Population
693 US$
693 US$
Gross domestic product per capita per year
167
167
Human Development Index (Human Development Index)

Rwanda is a densely populated, small country in East Africa; also known as the "land of a thousand hills" because of its hilly landscape. Rwanda is still suffering from the consequences of the 1994 genocide.

About the organization and further information

organization

OneDollarGlasses eV

Siemens Empowering People Award 2013 Enactus Worldcup Award 1st Place 2013

Further links