Vision Care is Vital
Vision care is a global medical need. In underserved countries, treatment can mean the difference between patients being able to feed their families or not. Women need glasses to help them see finer details while they sew or make jewelry. Children need to be able to see in school or to play or help their families. Parents need to be able to see the water they draw up or the ingredients going into the foods they prepare. Everyone who drives motorcycles needs to be able to recognize road signs or dangers up ahead.
Mission Partners for Christ is blessed to partner with other organizations to cover the costs of glasses that go to people in countries with less access to basic vision care. We are excited to be able to go to places like Burundi where we can play a role in helping people get what may be their very first pair of glasses! When they participate in basic vision care tests, we are able to present charts that are written in their language. They get to read John 3:16 on one of the charts, and be encouraged maybe for the first time, in knowing that God loves them.
The Global Vision Care Crisis
When we partner with organizations that provide glasses or vision care items, we bring valuable medical care to people who need it. We possibly play a role in decreasing mortality rates and also in limiting the spread of serious diseases. When people can see better, they can make better choices with foods or they can possibly read new information. When they receive vision care tests, symptoms of diseases or other serious issues can be found and treated.
According to World Health Organization (WHO), as of 2019, about 2.2 billion people worldwide have some form of vision impairment. Of that number, about 1 billion people have a preventable impairment. This means if the individuals had adequate, timely access to vision care, they might not have lost their sight.
Vision Care in Burundi
Burundi has been recovering from a past civil war and still experiences some barriers to preventive health care. Due to cost, many of the population postpone visiting the doctor or seeking emergency health care treatment until late in the course of an illness, injury, or condition. So if a child has glaucoma and develops a cataract, it might not be immediately noticed and then expediently treated. Or if a parent develops diabetes or lupus, vision impairments can be one of the first symptoms of a serious level of disease. If the parent is undertreated for diabetes or lupus, a vision care test can be life-saving!
The work we will be doing in partnership with others in Burundi and Benin is essential. It is one way to help their nations achieve global right to sight goals while also sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.
Life-Saving Intervention is Worth It
Burundi may seem so far away from the United States, but when you hear about what is going on there and the need for vision care, you might be stirred to participate or give in some way. There are multiple ways to give–you can donate to us by going to the Donate page on our website or contacting us. Or you can pray for us and tell others about us. You can also volunteer to join us on a medical missions trip! To help with vision care, you do not necessarily need to have medical training. You can work in the triage or in other ways that help us provide basic vision care services to those in need.
Wonder how to fund your trip? There are multiple ways of funding your medical missions trip–it doesn’t all have to rest on you. Funding for many volunteers’ trips comes from themselves, church fundraisers, or family members. Friends also may host fundraisers and supporting you. There also might be scholarships or grants. Check out “Raising Funds for Your Medical Missions Trips” and “8 Fundraising Tips to Attend a Mission’s Trip Debt-Free” for great tips to help you include in your upcoming schedule the medical missions trips you have wanted to join.
There Is Still Time to Join Us
Feel free to reach out to us with any questions you may have. To go with us to Burundi, go to the Volunteer page on our website. You are also able to fund someone else’s trip if you’re moved to do so at this time.
We look forward to hearing from you!
