KnowTheGlow is deeply committed to defending and promoting the rights of all children, especially those living with disabilities. In line with this commitment, we were honored to sponsor Refeades’ six-day campaign to prevent childhood blindness in the rural territory of Fizi, eastern D.R. Congo.
The campaign launched on March 3 and 4, 2025, with a community event in Swima village. A total of 1,900 children from AKE, ABEKA, NGOVI, and LWALA primary schools participated, alongside their teachers, headmasters, and parents. The initiative focused on educating the community about preventable causes of blindness such as cataracts, glaucoma, and eye trauma. The village chief, Mr. Sadiki Onge, officially opened the campaign and emphasized the importance of community involvement in protecting children’s eye health.
The impact
During the campaign, eleven children were identified as needing urgent referral to a specialized eye clinic for treatment.
Parents shared their appreciation for the initiative, describing the campaign as a source of hope in a region where support for eye health is limited. Many expressed that they had long feared for their children’s eyesight but had never imagined receiving such timely assistance.Educators were equally moved. Teachers and headmasters expressed interest in further training to help them better support students facing vision challenges. A request for a three-day training session was submitted and later reviewed by KnowTheGlow.
The campaign also shed light on a deeper issue: some children had previously abandoned their studies due to undiagnosed vision problems. For school leaders, this initiative felt like a lifeline for their students, many of whom had silently struggled for years.
At KnowTheGlow, we believe every child deserves the chance to see the world clearly. Every screening, every referral, and every spark of hope is a step toward a future where no child loses their vision to a preventable cause.