On Sunday, thirty-three primary school students received the gift of clearer vision, thanks to the ongoing Eyes Right Project, a collaborative initiative between the RapidFire Kidz Foundation and Republic Bank Limited.
Since its launch in 2012, the Eyes Right Project has provided over 1,350 pairs of free spectacles to children in need.
On Sunday, students from Aranguez Hindu, Mt. Lambert Roman Catholic, and Mt. Dor Government Primary Schools received their prescription glasses, bringing smiles and clearer vision to their young faces.
Member of Parliament for Aranguez/St. Joseph and Minister of Justice, Devesh Maharaj, praised the initiative.
“If these little children remember this incident, remember this occasion, and the parents remember this occasion, and the teachers remember this occasion, and you put into practice in your life that you, on a daily basis, you are going to give one act of selfless service, we will transform Trinidad and Tobago.”
President of the RapidFire Kidz Foundation, Kevin Ratiram, said planning is already underway for the next round of schools to benefit from the Eyes Right Project. He also noted that his Foundation is actively preparing for several other upcoming initiatives aimed at supporting underprivileged children across the country.
“We recently completed a play park at the Debe Hindu School, and we are actually getting ready to plan our annual gala dinner, which is our main fundraiser. We also have the August vacation upon us, so we will be taking a couple of children’s homes on field trips during the August vacation, educational field trips.”
Marketing Coordinator of See Vu Optical, Sherry Dubarry, urged parents to monitor and limit their children’s screen time, warning that excessive use of digital devices is contributing to increasingly high vision prescriptions among young students.
“The prescriptions that we got for your kids were a little high, which means that I want to ask you all, and spread the word, that kids need to be monitored on their devices, because we are realising that from early ages they are coming in and because of the devices they are on constantly, it is causing a problem.”
Minister Maharaj also emphasised the government’s continued commitment to children’s health, highlighting the recent expansion of the Children’s Life Fund, a top-priority programme designed to provide critical medical assistance to children in need.