To ensure more learners see the world clearer, JSE-listed healthcare group, AfroCentric, partnered with non-profit organisation Vision 4 Change by embarking on the “Vision is Vital” campaign which took place on the 25 November 2022.
Together, these two organisations collectively hosted a “Fitment Day” at two underprivileged Cape Town-based schools. A team of optometrists visited Silverleaf and Dunoon primary schools and provided free prescription spectacles to the learners who were identified to be experiencing eyesight challenges, according to each child’s specific need. This followed free eye testing and screening that took place in September. The overall health of the children’s eyes were also checked and those with eye problems beyond a need for spectacles were referred to eye specialists or their nearest hospital.
Palesa Makhetha, General Manager Group Marketing and Corporate Affairs said: “Many learners struggle with eyesight ailments but do not have access to vision care. Unfortunately, the cost of eyecare makes it inaccessible to millions of South Africans and our school-going youth are the ones who suffer the most. We are honoured to have partnered with Vision 4 Change in this significant initiative to give our learners vision.”
Makhetha added that without access to the right screening and treatment, these sight impairments affect reading, learning and overall performance at school. Ultimately this has dire consequences on the country’s unemployment rate down the line.
“As the AfroCentric Group, we have always taken pride in our commitment and ability to enable access to quality, affordable healthcare. Whether we do it by innovating new products or services or by empowering our communities, we transform healthcare, making it affordable for the people of South Africa. This is because we believe that when it comes to health coverage, no one should be left behind,” she said.
“Today is an embodiment of that belief and I am hopeful that one day in the future, these young people that I am looking at today, will one day be the leaders of an inclusive health system”, she concluded.
Vision 4 Change is a non-profit organisation that does community upliftment projects on behalf of businesses throughout South Africa. The NPO was founded in 2009 and has been a long-standing beneficiary of the AfroCentric Group since 2017.
