Malawians with visual challenges who cannot afford to buy a pair of optical lenses will be relieved with the coming of affordable optical lenses to be accessed through the project called One Dollar Glasses project.
These glasses will be locally made by a team of Malawians who are now being trained to make them using simple materials that do not need electricity and can be used anywhere.
According to Dr Krell, the name One Dollar Glasses, has been derived from the low selling price of the glasses at one dollar, which is about 450 Malawi Kwacha. He said the project is a brilliant invention of award winner Martin Aufmuth.
Krell also says the One Dollar Glasses project which has just come to Malawi is a pilot project in Balaka and will soon roll out nationwide. It is aimed at helping needy people who cannot afford to buy a standard pair of glasses which are usually very expensive for an ordinary villager.
Apart from Malawi, the project has been successfully implemented in Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Burkina Faso among others.
One Dollar Glasses has also won many international awards that include the Siemens Best Life Changing Innovation Award in Germany
Training of people on how to make the glasses is taking place at Balaka’s Catholic Women Organization Complex. Upon completion, the successful trainees will be provided with a frame/bending unit which
can make 30 000 pairs of optical lenses in a year.