By Mark Lorey, Vice President of Global Programs and Impact, RestoringVision
RestoringVision is rapidly expanding its strategic partnerships in Africa, the part of the world where poverty is most widespread and severe. It is estimated that more than 100 million people living in poverty on the African continent have presbyopia. Few have access to reading glasses, and even fewer can afford them.
RestoringVision has co-created a new partnership with the Africa Christian Health Associations Platform (ACHAP), the umbrella body for faith-based health systems in 32 countries across Africa. These faith-based health systems provide between more than 40% of total heath care in most African countries. Most have hundreds of members, including hospitals, clinics, and community outreach organizations. They are trusted, effective, accountable, and influential in their countries.
The new Africa Clear Sight Partnership will reach tens of millions of Africans with uncorrected presbyopia in the years ahead. By providing reading glasses to vulnerable people with presbyopia, this Partnership will enable immediate and lasting impact in people’s lives: equipping them to return to livelihoods that they had to abandon when they lost near vision, increasing income and productivity. Restoring near vision also improves people’s health, education, safety, and overall quality of life.
The inaugural meeting of the Africa Clear Sight Partnership was held this week in Abuja, Nigeria: site of the 2024 ACHAP Biennial Conference. The RestoringVision Programs and Impact team co-led this meeting with ACHAP. RestoringVision is a sponsor of this important international conference, with the theme ‘The Journey to Achieving Universal Health Coverage in Africa.’
Four ACHAP national members have worked with ACHAP and RestoringVision to co-create this Partnership: the Christian Health Association of Kenya, the Christian Health Association of Nigeria, the Christian Health Association of Sierra Leone, and the Churches Health Association of Kenya. These 4 associations and their local members cover more than 122 million people in the 4 countries where they work. RestoringVision glasses have begun arriving in these countries, and programmes are underway. RestoringVision and ACHAP look forward to welcoming more CHAs to the Partnership in the months and years ahead, to accelerate and multiply impact.
