Organised by Global Relief TrustA group of opticians from Specsavers will be going to Burundi on the 27/01/2020 for 4 days with Team GRT to provide Eye screenings for the people of Burundi. Please support GRT to help make a difference!
Burundi is a strikingly beautiful country, with soaring mountains and stunning lakes, and is home to some of the worlds best coffee. However, decades of instability have taken a toll on the countrys development.
After 12 years of civil war Burundi has been left with many scars. The countrys dense population mostly lives in rural areas that have limited access to medical and eye health services. In fact, the population is so jam-packed there are 312 people per square kilometre, the second highest population density in sub-Saharan Africa.
While Burundis economic growth is improving, its still one of the worlds poorest countries. Ongoing instability means theres a knock-on effect on the development of the country and improving the lives of its people.
According to a blindness survey in the north region of Burundi, 62.5% of blindness is avoidable and cataract is the primary cause of blindness. Due to eye health services not being a part of the national health system, many people living in poverty dont have access to basic eye health screenings and treatment.
The lack of national services means the private sector has begun to boom, with small optical units popping up all over the country. While its a positive thing that optical eye care services have become readily available, these are still mostly only accessible by those who can afford it.
Specsavers have decided to send a team of Ophthalmologists who deal with medical retina and Glaucoma to carry out Eye screenings for individuals in Burundi. The cost of a cataract is £35, please support us to make a difference in somebody's life
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