Kenyan schoolteacher Dinah says some of her best memories include the ‘ah-ha!’ moments when her students realized they could read and write. Now retired, she looks forward to evenings when she reads to her granddaughters, passing knowledge between generations.
“It’s an honour to share my passion for teaching with the girls, though there was a time when I couldn’t do that – it broke my heart.”
For six long months, Dinah experienced debilitating headaches that hindered her from reading to the girls.
Luckily, Dinah’s home was visited by a community health worker who referred her to the Iten County Referral Hospital where she got a diagnosis for presbyopia. Thanks to our partnership with the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation, she was provided with a complimentary pair of reading glasses. The foundation has provided more than 5,000 eyeglasses to our vision centres in Kenya since 2020.
“I’ll admit I was reluctant to start reading again,” Dinah says. “Once I did, I realized I had nothing to worry about – my headaches were gone!”
Since her headaches have dissipated, Dinah has committed two hours every day to reading to her grandkids. She marvels at their success.
“At first, the girls would have me read their schoolbooks to them,” she says. “Now they’ve started reading to me – it’s really lovely how these things come full circle.”
Donate today to help provide prescription eyeglasses for more people like Dinah.
With files from Caroline Ikumu.
