Our Latin American directors convened in the Dominican Republic to strengthen partnerships, share expertise, and optimize school eye screenings for greater efficiency this year.

Since starting our partnership with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Dominican Republic last month, we have donated 95 glasses and screened 894 children in local schools. This is just the start – our alliance will help 50 schools and 15,000 children this year.

This is Marco, a preschooler among the 623 children aged 4 to 12 who were screened at the Padres de la Patria School in Santo Domingo. He is thrilled to get glasses in his favorite color, blue. His mother notes that he often held objects close to see clearly and frequently felt eye discomfort. She explained, “I want him to see well so he can learn!”

Last month, CharityVision conducted an eye screening at Santa Filomena Elementary School in Los Guandules—one of the most underserved areas of Santo Domingo. Despite difficult access and a community often overlooked due to stigma and discrimination, our team and partners screened dozens of children, prescribed 71 pairs of glasses, and referred 7 for further care with an ophthalmologist through one of our local partners.

This is exactly where sight-saving work matters most!