| In
2006, my aunt, Winkie La Force, was preparing for a mission
trip to the slums of Nairobi, Kenya. We sought to fill the cracks
of her suitcase with items that were easily acquirable in the
states but would serve to be invaluable for the villagers that
she was serving. It was the simple gift of reading glasses that
had the most immediate impact for these villagers because many
of the inhabitants of the Kibera slum had lost vision as a result
of aging. For less than one $1, a pair of reading glasses was
able to restore the ability to read or complete working tasks
for these individuals. Inspired by the direct impact of such
a simple purchase, I began to raise money and awareness for
this optical need prior to each of Winkie's subsequent trips
to Africa. After deliveries to other developing countries via
other mission groups, Mission Vision became incorporated as
a non-profit, and in the summer of 2009, we received 501(c)(3)
status from the IRS, which has allowed for all donations to
be tax deductible.
With the help of my roommate, Quin Patton, I spent the summer
of 2009 in Central America delivering reading glasses to medical
centers and providing optical exams for the inhabits of these
remote villages. In that summer alone, Mission Vision reading
glasses were delivered to more than ten countries, and we
are aspiring to deliver 10,000 more glasses by the summer
of 2010.
Mission Vision is an entirely student-run organization and
has now spread to many other campuses outside of Davidson
College. There is a growing campus network of high schools
and universities that have started Mission Vision chapters.
We feel that over-the-counter reading glasses should be available
to the rural poor of these developing countries because vision
loss sees no borders. Therefore, Mission Vision will remain
dedicated to increasing simple optical care and resources
for the inhabitants of these destitute communities.
David Warren
founder and director
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