Sight Screening in Botswana

FEBRUARY!!!!!!!!!!!

What a month it was for Lions Clubs in Botswana. Sensational and unimaginable.......

The District Governor, District 412 had earlier in a conversation with the Management of the SPAR Group expressed a desire to work in tandem with them to do something to benefit the community. An agreement was worked upon and SPAR group offered to assist the Lions Clubs in nine locations to conduct sight screening where there existed a Lions Club as well as a SPAR Supermarket. The modalities were worked out and Presidents of the respective Lions Clubs were informed.

This sight screening brought Lions in Sight and at each of the nine locations Lions Clubs members were overwhelmed by he turnout of numbers. SPAR had offered free of cost 1500 reading glasses to be distributed to the first 150 patients at each of the nine locations. Lions Clubs members were to carry out the sight screening with the assistance of willing volunteer optometrists. SPAR also looked after the volunteer Lions and Optometrists by providing them snacks and drinks.

What no one imagined was the number of people who would come for the sight screening. At all locations reports were that people had started queuing from as early as four and five o' clock so that they would be among the first 150 to receive the free eyeglasses. The number of people registered at each of these locations exceeded six hundred and the maximum screening that could be carried out varied from 300- 400. At most locations either a Minister or Mayor was present to inaugurate the opening of the Sight Screening.
All this was very well but to control and manage the crowd the Lions had to display a good sense of humour and bring all man managemnt skills to practice. It was a great learning experience and from lessons learned Lions vowed to be able to conduct it better the next time.

Approximately about 6000 old, young, male, female, students some almost unable to even read the first letter and members of the community with all sorts of eye problems were screened. Of course those with refractive errors and eye problems were advised to visit the hospital eye clinics and those who wre lucky to be among the first 150 received free of cost a pair of reading glasses.

The lion members heaved a great sigh of relief at the end of the day as in some situations there was practically no shelter from the sun and many even sacrificed the time to forego lunch so that the sight screening could go on uninterrupted.

All in all this was a win win situation for both partners as Lions were visible and seen with the community and for SPAR they were seen fulfilling their Corporate Social Responsibility.

Partnerships like this one helped the Lions in Botswana to be visible and also proved that they were playing their role in achieving one of the principles of Vision 2016 that of "A Compassionate, Just and Caring Nation".