Dundalk Specsavers manager to volunteer for Ethiopian mission
Specsavers Dundalk is proud to inform customers that store director, Martina Kelly, will travel as part of a team of five volunteers to Ethiopia on Sunday 04 November with Vision Aid Overseas.
Martina will be accompanied by Specsavers Galway store director Noel Meehan, Miriam Kilgarriff, also from Specsavers Galway, store director at Specsavers Wilton, Dee Moore, as well as Marie Burke, Specsavers Bandon store director.
Specsavers Ireland has been working closely with Vision Aid Overseas for over 10 years, helping the fight against poverty in developing countries by transforming access to eye care.
Dundalk based Martina Kelly is no stranger to working with the charity, having previously travelled with Vision Aid Overseas to Zambia in 2015.
In preparation for their store managers mission to Ethiopia, the team at Specsavers Dundalk is urging local people to donate their old, unwanted glasses, which can then to help improve the eye health of those less fortunate.
Customers can get involved in the appeal by dropping their old frames into the in-store collection, which will then travel to Ethiopia with Martina for Vision Aid Overseas. With over 50,000 frames donated by Irish stores per year, Specsavers Ireland’s contribution has a significant impact.
Martina will spend two weeks in Ethiopia helping the visually impaired.
Along with a team of Irish volunteers, she will carry out numerous eye tests for local people and teach students in the local hospital how to conduct these eye tests, prescribe glasses and detect common eye diseases.
With this training, these students will be able to provide optometry services for the community, who, otherwise, would not have access to this level of healthcare.
Vision Aid Overseas is committed to creating sustainable solutions in developing countries and with the help of Specsavers, Vision Aid Overseas will provide eye care to people living in Ethiopia.
With a population close to 100 million people, the country has just 300 qualified optometrists to look after the eye health needs of all its people.
Store director at Specsavers Martina commented: ‘In Ireland, we are very fortunate to have access to excellent eye care but most people in Ethiopia are not as lucky, making it vital that we do all we can to improve their eye health services.’
Martina who previously visited Zambia in 2015 commented; ‘I am delighted to be embarking on my second volunteering trip with Vision Aid Overseas.’
She added: ‘After witnessing first-hand the poverty that people with visual impairments face, it is great to be able to make a difference.’
The store manager pointed out ‘By locals donating their old, unwanted glasses, we can really improve the eye health of those less fortunate.’
She added: There must be hundreds of spare pairs of specs lying around in drawers across Dundalk that are no longer of use to their owners. All donations will be welcome!’
In an effort to support Martina’s upcoming travels, Specsavers Dundalk is encouraging locals to drop in their old unused frames which will be donated to those who suffer from visual impairment.
For more information on the range of stylish and designer frames at Specsavers Dundalk, or to make an appointment, call (042) 932 6806 or visit https://www.specsavers.ie/stores/dundalk.
The Independent
