PHILIP CHISALU
Lusaka
PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema has launched HH Vision 100,000, a programme which will distribute free spectacles to 100,000 vulnerable Zambians, including learners, elderly people, military personnel and people living with albinism.
The initiative is aimed at improving access to eye care, restoring dignity and creating opportunities for people whose vision problems affect their education, livelihoods and productivity.
According to Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC), Mr Hichilema announced the programme in a virtual address to Zambia Ophthalmological Society’s annual conference.
The President said the initiative is not an act of charity but an intervention rooted in social justice, given that more than six million Zambians need spectacles due to poor vision.
“This programme is about giving back sight, restoring dignity and opening the doors of opportunity for our people,” he said.
Mr Hichilema said the programme has already been piloted in selected schools, including New Jack Secondary School in Chawama, Kabanana Secondary School in Mandevu and Chitanda Secondary School in Matero, as well as at the military base in Mikango.
He said the pilot programme has demonstrated the importance of good vision in improving learning and work performance. “When learners see better, they learn better.
When soldiers see better, they serve better,” the President said.
Mr Hichilema observed that one in five children struggles to see the blackboard, while nearly one in three adults lives with poor vision.
He said vision-related challenges have constrained educational opportunities, livelihoods and national development for too long. https://enews.daily-mail.co.zm/welcome/home
