What, exactly, is an “eye camp”? And what does it have to do with tea?

Well, it’s a small part of a big plan to check the eyesight of every person in Rwanda over the age of eight – and provide glasses to those who need them.

It’s the goal of a charity called Vision for a Nation Foundation, and these temporary eye camps are one of the ways it’s achieving its aim.

And with some funding from Yorkshire Tea, a two-day eye camp was held at the Gisovu Tea Estate.

It was led by two of the charity’s ophthalmic technicians, who trained a nurse in the Gisovu Health Centre in primary eye care – enough to conduct basic vision assessments and give glasses to patients, now and in the future.

Mutiganda Theophile, who plucks tea on the Gisovu Tea Estate, was one of those eye camp patients.

He’s had problems with his vision for 13 years, which gave him headaches when he tried to read and stopped him from writing.

He said he was “very happy” to receive a pair of adjustable glasses, that have enabled him to read and write properly.

In fact, 157 people who work on the estate headed in to the health centre for an assessment over those two days. It emerged that 63 of them needed – and were given – glasses.

It goes to show just how crucial the Vision for a Nation programme is. You can find out more about it here.