SIGHT [Vision Screenings & Exams]

Research from the Vision Impact Institute indicates that 25% of school age children have a vision impairment.(1)  The need is even greater for disadvantaged populations as further research from the Campaign for Educational Equity reports that low-income and minority youth are at a greater risk of unrecognized and untreated vision problems and have a higher rate of unmet needs for vision care services. Studies also reveal that less than 20% of children who fail screenings actually receive follow-up examinations and the necessary prescriptions and glasses.(2)  With 80% of learning occurring through vision, an efficient vision screening is the most effective way to ensure the students reach their maximums potential.

  1. Basch, C.E. (2010). Healthier Students Are Better Learners: A Missing Link in Efforts to Close the Achievement Gap. Equity Matters: Research Review No. 6. New York: The Campaign for Educational Equity.

  2. Zaba, JN. Children’s Vision Care in the 21st Century and its Impact on Education, Literacy, Social Issues, and the Workplace. Journal of Behavioral Optometry. Volume 22, 2011: 39-41

SKETCHES [Solidarity Cards & Drawings]

Solidarity, culture and community are essential in grounding a displaced society.  The 1970 Lusaka NAM resolution in Zambia stated: “World solidarity is not only a just appeal, but an overriding necessity; it is intolerable today for some to enjoy an untroubled and comfortable existence at the expense of the poverty and misfortune of others.”(1)  Solidarity through the form of art becomes a gateway for the international community to bridge the gap.

The use of art has been proven to aid in the personal journey for mental health and is an essential part of mental health and the healing process.   Participation in arts and mental health projects has a range of largely positive impacts on the people involved; the experience is reported to have: increased self-understanding, initiated and increased self esteem, facilitated self-directed therapeutic processes, provided opportunities for self-evaluation, gave feelings of stability, established positive ‘ripple effects’ to friends and family, improved communication skills, involved challenges and difficulties, and increased a senses of resilience. (2)

  1.  “Resolutions of the Third Conference of Non-Aligned States”, Lusaka, 1971, viewed September 26, 2016.
  2. “The Arts and Mental Health: Creativity and Inclusion”, University of Dundee, UK, viewed November 15, 2016.