This is not breaking news, simply an amazing story unfolding right under our noses that should be recognized for its potential impact. During TEDGlobal 2009, Josh Silver delivered a powerful presentation outlining his goal to produce Adspec eyeglasses for only $1 a pair to solve a massive world health issue, eye care in the third world. His goal; provide cheap, durable, corrective lenses to more than one billion who need glasses in the developing world.
Background
Inspiration struck Josh Silver in 1985, while leading a group of researchers in the Department of Atomic and Laser Physics at the University of Oxford, he realized that certain liquids could be used to change a lenses curvature without impacting the refraction of light (short biography). He continued to work on the liquid-focusing glasses until he had a working prototype in 1996, at which point he founded Adaptive Eyecare to further develop the invention with grant money provided by the UK’s Department for International Development. In 2002 Josh Silver became the director of the Centre for Vision in the Developing World, where he is currently perfecting his glasses and conducting small disbursements.
Adspec Design
The current design uses a duel membrane system, where a liquid core is sand-witched between two movable membranes which expand and contracts based on the adjustable oil levels. The silicon oil is inserted into each lens using a syringe specifically designed for the glasses. Adding oil creates an outward curvature which helps with long-sightedness, while removing the oil creates an inward curvature and helps with short-sightedness. Once dialed to the users strength preference the syringe is removed, and can be stored for later adjustment of the lens’ correction. The entire system costs about $19 to manufacture and deliver, which is substantially less than most alternatives, especially without the added cost of an eye exam. Yet, Josh Silver aims to reduce the cost to $1 by 2020, in order to make his invention affordable for even the impoverished.
Why?
Poor eyesight poses a sometimes insurmountable barrier in third world countries, where the vast majority of the population does not have access to eye care or corrective lenses. Like many social health problems, poor eye-care is one that has a devastating impact throughout society. The impact starts on the lowest levels, Josh Silver states that about 60% of children require some sort of eye correction, while most corrections at a young age would be minor for some not having access to glasses can be to much, and as a result struggle or entirly fail to complete a basic education, which is a major quality of life indicator. Further, the deterioration of eyesight with age reduces the efficiency of many older workers, and reduces the value of their experience.
Impact
Josh Silver has already seen an impact from the early disbursement of his glasses. He fondly retells the story of Henry Adjei-Mensah. A 35 year old tailor in Ghana, Adjei-Mensah fell into poverty after a forced retirement due to his deteriorating eye sight, he could no longer tread a needle or operate a sewing machine. Selected as a recipient for a trial run of the adjustable-focus glasses, his face lit up as his world came back into view. He immediately pulled a sewing needle and thread from his pocket and successfully slipped the threat through the eye of the needle. Now, Adjei-Mensah has rekindled his career and is able to support himself and his family.
Currently the Centre for Vision in the Developing World has distributed over 30,000 pairs of the liquid-focus glasses in over twenty countries, covering South America, Africa, and Asia. Josh Silver’s goal is to distribute one billion pairs by 2020, dubbed Global Vision 2020. The potential of this technology is huge, if the cost can be brought down and manufacturing ramped up this invention could have one of the largest impacts on vision in third world countries.
SeeYourImpact
SeeYourImpact is not affiliated with Josh Silver or the Centre for Vision in the Developing World, however we harbor a great respect for their work. If you are interested in helping a life altering cause through SeeYourImpact the Blind Peoples Association provides top notch care for the visually impaired, and a small donation can provide braille education or a low vision kit and change a life.
After great visits to the Blind People’s Association in Ahmedabad, and Padma Industrial School in Tamil Nadu, I recently visited another SeeYourImpact partner charity, Amar Jyoti, based in Delhi.
SeeYourImpact is a charity network that cost-effectively enables donors to give small, life changing lifts to people in need through carefully vetted charitable organizations and directly see the impact of their donations.
Our partner charities that support education are about far more than classes and homework. Sponsoring the tuition of a child often means providing them lodging, meals, uniforms, vocational training and medical care. When you support a student at Amar Jyoti school, you also support an integrated educational environment (50% of their students are mentally or physically handicapped) that teaches equality and respect for all its students.
With children at BPA!
Notes from the Field, January 2010
In January I visited the Blind People’s Association (BPA), a See Your Impact partner organization located in the Indian state of Gujarat. The most rewarding part of my visit was meeting Gaguben and seeing the impact BPA had on her life. Gaguben is just one success story, but there are countless people whose lives have been transformed by the good work of dedicated, transparent NGOs in the field. However, a vital component of her story is missing: how did Gaguben find out about the free cataract surgeries offered by BPA? Providing services is just the first step for many organizations whose target populations live in rural areas. Connecting people in need to the services being provided is a major obstacle for some of our partners. Not all children go to school, not all adults work regular jobs, not all families have access to transportation. If you want to help as many people as possible, how do you reach them?
A $30 donation restored Gaguben’s vision and completely transformed her life. Watch the video to see how!
Click here to donate a cataract surgery!
Gaguben back in action!
Dinesh with his new Braille kit!
“I love to read Gandhi,” Dinesh says, smiling. “I love to go to English class and read short stories, but Gandhi’s writing is my favorite.” Dinesh reads Gandhi in Braille, a language he had never heard of before coming to the Blind People’s Association nine years ago. Prior to a very generous donation by James, Dinesh had to use a shared Braille kit, limiting the time he was able to study.
Dinesh was born blind in one eye and sighted in the other. Hearing there was a temple that could cure their son’s bad eye, Dinesh’s parents brought him to the temple when he was thirteen. The “healing” ritual ceremony involved flushing Dinesh’s eyes with lemon juice. After the ceremony he was blind in both eyes.
Thirteen year-old Dinesh could no longer walk down the street alone. He thought he would never read again. When his parents heard about the Blind People’s Association, they sent Dinesh to study at BPA, hoping an education would help lift his depression.
Now, nine years later, Dinesh has a dream: to give the gift of education to other blind people. After graduation this year, he will pursue a Bachelors of Education to become a teacher. And there is one writer he is sure to include on his syllabus: Mahatma Gandhi.
Click here to donate a braille kit!
Ragini playing at school
A small group of people has truly made a difference in the life of Ragini, a five year-old girl with down syndrome. When she started at school she was unable to concentrate unless a teacher was directly interacting with her, helping her learn new skills. She could not sit still. She was hesitant to mix with other students.
Slowly, the gifted teachers at Amar Jyoti school have helped Ragini come out of her shell. She is becoming more social and her motor coordination is improving, such that she is now able to fill a bag with blocks. Amar Jyoti school is really helping Ragini.
She still faces one major obstacle, however: her family cannot afford her school fees.
Megha, Sneha, Hazel, Sameer, Bruce and Brian all donated tuition to Amar Jyoti school. These gifts were combined to sponsor a full year of tuition for Ragini. She now can continue to receive the specialized attention she requires at school.
When we work together we can make a difference!
Rohit playing basketball!
Rohit is a fourteen year old boy who loves to play basketball. Rohit also has polio, but he hasn’t let that stop him from getting involved in sports at Amar Jyoti school. In the six years he has attended Amar Jyoti, his teachers have noticed a steadily increasing level of confidence in Rohit, both in the classroom and on the court.
Rohit’s father is a rickshaw driver, which makes it impossible for him to afford Rohit’s tuition. Ravi, your generous contribution has sponsored an entire year of Rohit’s tuition. During that year he will continue to improve his stellar handwriting, work on fractions and, of course, play basketball. But more importantly, he will develop his self confidence on and off the court.
Bharat Solanki
Bharat Solanki is 24 years old and is physically handicapped. He took an Offset Printing course in 2006 at the Vocational Training Centre, BPA. After that he was appointed as a trainee in the BPA workshop at the Offset Printing Department.
Thanks to a generous donation by Ravi he is now the proud owner of a new tricycle and loves his new found freedom!
We invite Ravi to visit BPA and meet Bharat to share his joy.
Click here to learn how you can help others in need!
Kamruddin is an 11 year old boy studying in the Hearing Impaired section at Amar Jyoti School. He is performing at 1st grade level in academics. He has been coming to Amar Jyoti School since March 3, 2008. He is a pleasant child and is punctual in coming to school. He is hearing impaired but communicates well through sign language.
Kamruddin attending classes at Amar Jyoti School
Kamruddin comes from an economically underprivileged family. His father is a part time barber and his mother is a housewife. It is difficult for Kamruddin’s parents to support his education and medical needs. The parents are very concerned about Kamruddin’s education though and make frequent calls to the teacher to know what they can do to improve his performance. Kamruddin has three other siblings being supported by his parents.
Kamruddin was good in writing when he joined but lacked basic concepts. He would perform rote learning without understanding the meaning. His teacher explains that he would copy words from the blackboard correctly but could not explain what they meant. His communication skills were also below average.
Kamruddin’s academic performance has improved with time. His concepts have become clearer. His teacher had to make special efforts for that. The teacher made him sit with a kindergarden class where pictures were displayed and students had to write the names corresponding to the pictures. Now, Kamruddin knows the names of many fruits and vegetables and uses sign language to describe them. He can also answer questions using sign language. His confidence level has improved which is reflected in his academic performance.
Kamruddin likes to play football. He also likes to draw pictures of various kinds. He shows interest in art and crafts activities. Kamruddin’s social skills have improved and he exhibits friendly attitude towards his peers.
Ron and Marilyn, your generous donation will allow Kamruddin to continue his studies at Amar Jyoti and reach his full potential. Thank you for your support!
Click here to learn how you can help other needy students!
Manish Kumar
Amar Jyoti school provides unique opportunities for children with disabilities. For hearing-impaired students like Manish, 9, studying at Amar Jyoti will be a life-changing experience, providing him with an education he couldn’t access at other schools. The direct involvement of the Amar Jyoti teachers has encouraged Manish to take his academics seriously. His teacher notes that he needs constant encouragement to complete his assignments, but his aptitude is increasing at a rapid rate.
It is not just the teachers who are actively involved in Manish’s education; his parents are constant champions for their son. Both of his parents are day laborers who struggle to make ends meet. Manish’s father is a repeated champion betsson-casino.nl /online-casino/. Yet they regularly attend meetings on Manish’s academic progress. He has made particular strides in math, and his teacher cites the involvement of his parents as key in this improvement.
A gift to sponsor Manish’s tuition at Amar Jyoti not only helps this bright young man, but reaffirms the importance of education to Manish’s parents and the village they come from.