A couple of weeks ago, on a sunny and very humid afternoon I was visiting a small primary school in rural Cambodia. The typical yellow school building was surrounded by the green rice fields glistening from the recent rain. An unpaved narrow road was winding its way to the opening of a school yard—a place where school children were playing and enjoying their break. I was part of a mission following up with children who had received eye glasses as part of a school-based vision screening. We call it informally the “eye glasses project.” It resulted from the partnership of 4 organizations: the World Bank, the Partnership for Child Development, Sightsavers, and the Global Partnership for Education. We came together to promote eye health and correcting refractive errors among children in developing countries.
The Eye Glasses Project
In June 2012, almost 13,000 children in Cambodia were part of the initial school-based vision screening. Some children received eye glasses, a few were referred for eye surgery. Now, 6 months later, we were following up with the children who had received eye glasses. For most of these children it was their very first pair of glasses and their very first vision screening. I was traveling with a team from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport and a vision expert, visiting school by school. As we entered one school yard, the children paused their games and looked at us before returning to their play. A group of about 20 kids emerged from the crowd; among them were a girl and a boy wearing eye glasses. They were surrounded by their friends, and accompanied by a smiling teacher. Chung Lang and Chung Chaing are siblings, she is 13 and he is 11 years old. Both of them were screened by their teacher in June, and referred for further screening by a refractionist who was part of the school-based vision screening team. Chung Lang, a petite 13-year-old is in 5th grade. She lost vision in her right eye due to vitamin D deficiency and has very poor vision in her left eye, making it practically impossible for her to see what is written on the school blackboard. She persevered in school as much as she could, mostly relying on her hearing to keep up with the school work, but at some point she dropped out because it was more and more difficult for her to see what was going on, and to follow up written instructions on the board.
Learning despite disabilities
As she sat across from me wearing glasses, with her brother and teacher sitting beside her, our eyes met and a big smile appeared on her face. As part of the follow up questionnaire we asked her when she does and does not wear her eye glasses. She smiled again and said “I only take them off to sleep.” Mr. Kat Kong, her teacher, said that Chung Lang is a very attentive and good student, as she had some catching up to do. I asked Chung Lang what she can do now that she has her eye glasses that she could not do before. “I really enjoy reading,” she said smiling. I did not want to put her on the spot by asking her to read for us, but the teacher brought out a school book, and Chung Lang did not seem a bit intimidated. She confidently opened the book, and started reading with enthusiasm, interest and fervor, her finger moving swiftly from one line to another, with her teacher proudly observing. When she stopped, and the cheers were going all around, Chung Lang took her eyes off the page and looked up smiling widely. A pair of $2 glasses makes all the difference For this young girl, a $2 pair of glasses determines whether or not she will go to school and receive an education. A simple vision screening and a pair of glasses made it possible for her to return to school, and to continue learning.
Her favorite subject in school is math and she wants to become a teacher. Many other children shared their stories with us, as we were visiting school after school. I met and talked with many teachers and students who were part of the first school-based vision screening in Cambodia. The Ministry of Education representatives appreciate the simplicity of the screening and saw the huge impact it has on the lives of children. Cambodia now wants to make vision screening part of the national school-based health program.
Other GPE countries in the region have heard about the program and requested support to establish similar projects in their countries. We are eager to help them! I enjoy seeing results on the ground and being part of an education program that supports children with disabilities. I keep using the quote from one of my Cambodian Ministry of Education colleagues: “We learn by doing, and we do by trying”. One of his colleagues added, “And then we must share what we’ve learned with others.”