QUARTERLY REPORT

March, 2016

INTERNATIONAL VISION PROGRAM

In 2015, Clearly and Developing World Connections entered into a partnership to provide eye-health training and deliver reading and sun glasses to the countries where DWC works.

Clearly joined with Developing World Connections as a part of its corporate goal to make vision correction accessible around the globe. Training and education are topmost on Clearly's priority l ist.

Globally, an estimated 2.5 bil l ion people have vision problems. The need is enormous.

DWC and its network of non-prof it host partner organizations on the ground in nine developing countries worldwide are a great f it for Clearly's program to remove barriers to eye health and vision correction.

So far, DWC and its partners have held eyewear testing and distribution clinics in remote communities in Sri Lanka and Guatemala, distributed reading glasses and sun glasses and provided eye health information and referrals for ophthalmic care.

In both countries, poverty and

distance have been factors in residents not being able to access proper eyewear for their needs. Recipients lined up for eye tests and to receive the right corrective lenses that will bring their l ives into focus. The most recent Clearly clinics were held in southern areas of Sri Lanka in January and February of 2016, with reading and sun glasses distributed.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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Sri Lanka has a population of 20 mill ion. Of that 20 mill ion, 400,000 have low vision.

Age-related eye diseases are on the rise in Sri Lanka. Sunglasses help prevent UV damage while reading glasses are vital for such day-to-day tasks as reading or sewing.

SRI LANKA CLINICS

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In Sri Lanka, Developing World Connections is teamed up with Navajeevana to hold eye clinics in the southern region. Each clinic involved 10 staff from Navajeevana who did testing, referral, f itt ing and distribution of glasses provided by Clearly.

Navajeevana is based in the Tangalle region of Sri Lanka and has provided services to disabled people for three decades.

As the team of 10 Navajeevana staff arrived, crowds of up to 60 vil lagers were lined up and waiting for the clinics to open.

The Navajeevana f ield programs co-ordinator spoke to the crowds about the importance of vision care, and the value of the donation made by Clearly from Canada. He introduced the eye clinic team and the visit ing ophthalmologist, and explained how the assessment and f itt ing of readers is done, and the referral of those with more dif f icult vision problems. Field staff visit communities in the surrounding southern province on a monthly basis to co-ordinate the delivery of community-based rehabilitation services from Navajeevana.

Field staff recommended which communities would get the most benefit from eye clinics, established the sites and publicized the event day. Staff manned four vision assessment stations, one readers collecting station, one sunglasses collecting station and two stations for collecting fees. Chart reading tests were done and readers of appropriate strength were f itted. Anyone with vision problems not helped by the readers was referred to the ophthalmologist with the clinic.

Although most vil lagers receiving readers were housewives and were rather shy to be interviewed, they were happy to be able to see again for sewing, cooking, reading and shopping. A big thank you was given to the Navajeevana eye clinic team and Clearly Canada by the Hakmana farmers? association secretary, Api Miladasa, who was grateful for his new readers.

Eye clinics were held in f ive communities in southern Sri Lanka in January and February with Navajeevana.

The f irst clinic was held on Jan. 6 in Okewela, with 138 reading glasses and 108 sunglasses distributed.

The next day, the clinic crew moved on to Hakmana. A total of 151 sunglasses and 147 readers were distributed.

The following clinic was held in Kirinda on Jan. 21. Clinic staff distributed 156 readers and 152 sunglasses.

February's clinics were held on the 10th in Wallasmulla and on the 11th in Pahajawa.

Walasmulla is a primarily Singhala community which is focused on farming of rice, coffee, tea, pepper, and ginger. Many people were waiting when the crew arrived at the clinic site: a school owned by the local temple. There were 125 readers and 150 sunglasses distributed.

The f inal February clinic was held in the empty upper f loor of a bank building in Pahajawa. There was lots of l ight and ceiling fans. A total of 147 readers and 150 sunglasses were given out.

This clinic drew a younger group than some of the others in the rural vil lages.

Sunglasses were provided to a large group of men using tuk tuks and motor bikes. They were happy and relieved they would no longer have insects in their eyes, or burning and tearing eyes from the brightness.

Sunglasses are always in demand at the clinics, with some people requesting extra pairs. Stock ran out in some strengths of reading glasses, such as the 1.50 and 3.50 powers. Strengths of 0.5 and 0.75 are also requested.

INVENTORYREADER POWER

FIVE CLINIC TOTAL

REMAINING STOCK

1.00 124 29

1.25 65 132

1.50 110 0

1.75 75 234

2.00 100 61

2.25 39 328

2,50 61 186

2.75 30 374

3.00 66 252

3.25 12 80

3.50 3 1

3.75 6 80

4.00 21 20

TOTAL 712 1,777

SUNGLASSES CLINIC DISTRIB.

REMAINING STOCK

711 2,100

DAMAGED 7

TOTAL GLASSES

1,423 3,877

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Abdul Karim Mohammed Dunai Jahobr is a farmer and businessman who grows coffee, pepper, ginger and tea near the Sri Lankan community of Kirinda, northwest of Tangalle. He also produces tea packets.

Some years ago, Jahobr lost his right hand in an accident with a rice threshing machine.

Through Navajeevana's micro-credit loan program, he started his farm and bought a packeting machine for the tea he grows.

However, vision problems were making it increasingly dif f icult for him to run his business.

Not only was it hard to read and f il l out papers, but he was in danger of missing the short window between when tea is in bud to when leaves open because of his l imited sight. Tea has to be harvested within a few days of the bud stage. Missing harvest can destroy a crop.

Jahobr feared if his vision worsened, he wouldn't be able to pay back his loan and he would lose everything.

He went to the Kirinda eye clinic and testing showed he needed 3.0 power reading glasses.

When he got his new reading glasses, he gave a big smile and expressed a heartfelt ?Thank you."

IMPACTREADING GLASSES HELP FARMER KEEP BUSINESS

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IMPACT

Sirisena Hewa Patidma, 64, was happy to receive sunglasses which he told clinic staff will enable him to continue to work in the rice f ields. He has been a farmer all his l ife and now he also travels four kilometres daily by motorbike to tend a herd of water buffalo.

The glare of the sun off the paddies and the bugs f lying at him on the road are harmful to his eyes. His income options are few; this work is important to him. At the clinic, he put on his sunglasses and with a big smile said, ?My eyes feel comfortable already. Thank you.?

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Kumudu Welahewa, 42, could not read without getting a severe headache. A father of two daughters, 13 and 10, it is important for him to maintain his job as a development assistant with the Divisional Secretariat. Outside the major cit ies, unemployment rates are high and good-paying jobs are scarce.

Welahewa's job involves processing forms. He was worried he would lose his job because he could not read them any more. He was very pleased with his readers and said ?Thank you Canadian people for thinking of us in Sri Lanka."

Api Wickrama, 30, is secretary for the Walasmulla Disabled Association and is disabled herself . As a child, her right leg was crushed by a water buffalo. It had to be amputated. She has had many artif icial l imbs f itted at Navajeevana and was happy when she heard there would be an eye clinic in her community.

She had dif f iculty completing the many forms processed in her off ice and was concerned for her job. She was tested and received power 2.0 readers and sunglasses.

One clinic was held at a local house, so the rehabilitation team required the inside rooms for the therapy assessments. The eye clinic stations were set in the garden under the coconut trees, which helped manage the large crowd early on, but the clinic team felt the changing sunlight/ shade might have altered the accuracy of the vision testing.

We have discussed this and the eye clinic leader for the glasses program will ensure future clinics have suitable light for testing.

A regular component of the eye clinic is teaching about eye health and the importance of wearing the readers or sunglasses. More than 200,000 people in Sri Lanka are blind, 70 per cent due to cataracts.

We have requested printed handout for people to take away, but it hasn't happened yet. In Sri Lanka, there is no schooling for health education. Navajeevana recognizes this problem and routinely includes prevention education for every eye clinic.

Sunglasses were popular with farmers and delivery drivers. Many asked for a second pair for family, but to date the program has been limited to one pair per person.

The Navajeevana team adapted to conditions of the day, moving the assessment stations as the sun and shade moved.

The f ield off icer of the Public Health Division at one clinic asked that this become an annual event. From the interest seen at all

f ive clinics, this seems like a good plan. Word of mouth is the best advertising in Sri Lanka, so the next clinics should have more people.

The system of local advertising and word of mouth through such groups as the local farmers? association is a good way to inform people of the clinics. These were the f irst clinics of this type in these communities. It is expected once vil lagers learn of the benefits of the sunglasses and readers, there will be requests for more clinics.

The system of establishing the sites and advertising the clinics through the Navajeevana f ield staff seems effective and the Navajeevana team doing the clinic was very organized. We arrived and within 20 minutes, all stations were set up and assessments were underway.

Unfortunately, the staff did not take with them any readers over the power 3.0 because they did not think that anyone would need them. It has ben requested that all powers be taken to clinics from now on.

A key positive is the attendance of a local ophthalmologist at the eye clinic for immediate screening assessment of people who are not helped by readers.

We recommend a simple handout on vision care, vision hazards, when to see a doctor, etc. It would be a useful addition to the clinics. If Clearly has such a handout, it could easily be translated into local languages.

OBSERVATIONS

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"I was very impressed with the commitment to the clinic, the organization of the clinic day, and the very positive response from the community. "

- Raelene Shea, DWC liaison - Sri Lanka

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GALLERY

GALLERY

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GALLERY

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GALLERY

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