From September 16 – 20, OneSight held a vision clinic in Tanzania to serve communities in Dar Es Salaam and Kigoma. With the help of 49 volunteers and People Development Forum (PDF), Tanzania Charitable Hospital Trust Fund and I-KATCH TECHNOLOGY LIMITED, we screened over 3,000 people and dispensed 2,125 pairs of glasses, 2,104 of which were manufactured on-site.

At OneSight, our definition of success goes beyond the numbers. It’s the individual stories of people whose lives are now forever changed by clear sight that fuel our team’s passion. Stories like 5-year old Adea’s: A beautiful little girl who was born with severe hydrocephalus and many other physical abnormalities, one of which was very poor sight in her left eye. Despite all odds, she’s talking and loves nothing more than dressing like a princess and playing with her three older brothers. When her first pair of glasses broke, her mother was unable to replace them. It wasn’t until OneSight’s Tanzania clinic that Adea was able to get a new pair, allowing her to live her vibrant little life to the fullest.

Others, like 19 year-old Plakseda, travelled all through the night and slept outside our clinic doors in order to ensure she could register for our clinic the following day. It’s these stories – and the potential that lies in the futures of the people behind them – that keep us searching for opportunities to expand our reach.

This clinic will pave the way for further opportunities next year when we will be holding a clinic to serve the refugee populations sheltering in Tanzania from neighboring Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DCR). OneSight is continuing to find ways to serve those who have been displaced due to political instability, war, famine and other natural disasters.

These are people whose lives are on hold, but their potential doesn’t have to be. Vision care is often not available, and we want to change that. Explore how OneSight is serving internally displaced and refugee populations globally.