Global Vision 2020 has partnered with a number of education organizations in Liberia to help bring clear vision to (at present) 1000 people, many of them teachers or teacher trainees, enabling them to complete their training and help teach more effectively. Many hundreds of market women and artisans, who provide much income for their families, have also benefited from the program, which encompasses both self-adjustable glasses and reading glasses that will help both young and old see clearly.

This program is strongly supported by our partners, the Centre for Vision in the Developing World, who have assisted in the pilot phase of the project and continue to provide training manuals, validation and scientific assistance.

Use the tabs above to navigate information about the stories of some of those who have benefited, and our partner organisations. On the right is an interactive map of the locations that have trained distributors and distributed glasses in the program so far.

The program in Liberia is an important pilot project for Global Vision 2020, and has been a key test of our distribution method - partnering with existing (ideally local) aid and development organizations and providing training and glasses to them for distribution to those who need them.

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Arthur Walker came along to our distribution session at the Kakata Rural Teacher Training Institute, having noticed that his vision over the past few years had got noticeably worse. The poor vision was beginning to affect the 57 year-old father of nine, who is the sole head of the household after his wife passed away a few years ago. Two of his sons assisted Arthur at his job as a carpenter, until one very recently died of a suspected heart attack, putting even more pressure on Arthur.

As well as having trouble seeing his work (causing him to reduce the amount of work he was doing, lowering his income), Arthur was having trouble walking around and seeing his surroundings.

The volunteers in Kakata diagnosed Arthur with long-sightedness (hyperopia) and that he also needed reading glasses (presbyopia) for close work. Both are conditions that get worse with age, and the screening results showed that Arthur was having real trouble seeing clearly.

Arthur fitted himself with a pair of self-adjustable glasses for reading and close work, and a pair of +1.5D reading glasses fitted perfectly for distance vision. Arthur went down the vision chart again, and instead of barely seeing line 2, he could comfortably see line 8 - almost 20/20 vision! The glasses that Arthur received through this Global Vision 2020 program will help him step up his work as a carpenter, supporting his family for many more years where previously failing vision might have forced him to stop. Arthur was overjoyed - he can read his Bible again each Sunday.

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Emmanuel Harris is 71 and came along to the Kakata Rural Teacher Training Institute to see if his distance vision could be improved. He had never had any trouble with seeing the smallest text in his Bible, even as the years advanced, but had always had trouble seeing things far away.

To make matters worse, Emmanuel lost the vision in his right eye in an accident over 50 years ago. The volunteer checking his vision found out that his left eye had severe short-sightedness (myopia), which was causing the blurriness at distance for Emmanuel.

When he put on the adjustable glasses and wound the dial slowly backwards, Emmanuel's face lit up: the vision in his left eye was becoming clearer with every turn. When we discovered the best setting for him, the glasses were set and sealed, and Emmanuel had himself a pair of distance glasses, that will hopefully improve his life drastically.

As he left, Emmanuel said to us "you've made me a few years younger".

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To make this project the success it was, Global Vision 2020 worked with a number of in-country partners by providing training and eyeglasses to distributors: piloting the Global Vision 2020 distribution model.

Centre for Vision in the Developing World: A research centre at the University of Oxford founded by Professor Josh Silver, inventor of the process of self-refraction. The Centre provided validation of the effectiveness of Global Vision 2020's work and assisted in training and training materials. Hope International: A Christian volunteer organisation with a strong and growing program in Liberia, Hope International provided many volunteers for screening and distribution efforts. Training of around 25 volunteers and distribution of self-adjustable and reading glasses was done at the Monrovia Church of Christ, in Paynesville, Monrovia. Creative Associates International: An international professional services firm with a strong track record of setting up and running education projects in the developing world, Creative Associates provided Global Vision 2020 access to the Learning Resource Center, part of their Accelerated Learning Program Plus in Liberia, for distribution efforts.

Maryland for Progress: An NGO working in the remote Maryland region of Liberia, Maryland for Progress provided volunteers for training and ran a distribution session of adjustable and reading glasses. Kakata Rural Teacher Training Institute: Liberia's second largest teacher training institute provided Global Vision 2020 with a number of volunteers keen to learn how to distribute glasses, and helped us run a hugely successful distribution session, providing glasses for Liberia's much needed educators of the future. Maryland/Liberia Sister State Program: Provides partnerships between the US state of Maryland and its namesake in Liberia. The Sister State Program was instrumental in helping to set up this program, and is committed to helping bring vision to Liberia.