Eyeglass Project

Project description and objectives

This project was created to distribute eyeglasses to people who suffered in the violent events in June, 2010. It was carried out in Osh city.

Major Activities Completed and Results

CDI staff began by registering interested individuals who provided a certificate demonstrating that they were affected by the events in June. A Korean optometrist worked with CDI in testing each individual’s eyes. When appropriate, participants received eyeglasses free of charge. The optometrist also gave special attention to young people and to those with more serious eye conditions.

The checking proceeded for 6 days, and over 720 patients were seen. More than 1000 pairs of eyeglasses were distributed.

The people were appreciative of this project. Some people had tears of joy when they realized they could “see again.” One local staff who assisted with the project commented, “For me the most outstanding part of this project was the way we were able to work alongside each other as a team. The team consisted of Koreans, Westerners, Kyrgyz and Uzbeks. It was a great experience to work together in a very good way. It was also very good for participants to see such cooperation during in this time of ethnic tension.”