By Vivian Onyebukwa
The Lions Club of Akowonjo, Lagos, recently organised a vision project in collaboration with Kawe, a non-governmental organisation, and Lagos Business School MBA Class of 10.
The event, tagged ‘Vision’, was held at Oke-Odo Junior High School, Lagos, where 100 pupils were screened, and 64 of them were given free eyeglasses.
Kawe is a social enterprise aimed at encouraging and inculcating reading culture, especially in young people. It was founded by Mr Segun Dada.
President of the Lions Club, Akowonjo, Ibiba Odili, in her welcome address, described the event as unique because of the collaboration with other groups. Explaining the reason behind the project, Odili said: “Segun helps in development of schools, providing books and all that. So he asked me what he could do for me, and that was how the collaboration started.
“We discovered that most students are not doing well in class not because they are not brilliant, but because they don’t see well and then their parents have no money to provide eyeglasses for them. The collaboration is significant because it underscore the importance of collaboration. I look forward to carrying out this project with Segun beyond Akowonjo.”
District Governor of Lions Club, Lynda Odunmbaku while speaking, was overwhelmed with joy over the project. “I am pleasantly surprised and impressed by the president’s intention to bring the vision exercise to schools. It is customary for us to overlook children and face the adults as most clubs do. So it is a dimension that I buy into because I am a mother and school principal.”
Odunmbaku advised that early detection is key as it can be permanently corrected or managed. She applauded Segun Dada for the initiative.
In his response, Mr. Dada stated that his organisation encourages the students to read by establishing libraries in schools.
“If you are forcing a child to read and the child has eye problems, you need to fix that first. These days so much light is going into the eyes because of phones,” he noted.
Principal of the school, Oladokun Bernice Olusola, said she was overwhelmed by the Lions Club gesture. She promised to ensure that the students make good use of the glasses.
“I am highly impressed. I promise that those glasses will not be misused. We will give them orientation on how to handle and take care of the glasses. I promise that those students given the glasses will take good care of them.
During the event, Dada and the school principal were decorated with Lions Club badge.