Welwyn optician to help the poor in Ethiopia
AN optician is jetting off to Ethiopia to help deliver spectacles to some of the country's poorest people. Graham Farrow, who works at Dollond & Aitchison in WGC, will be flying out to Addis Ababa on October 17, alongside eight other
AN optician is jetting off to Ethiopia to help deliver spectacles to some of the country's poorest people.
Graham Farrow, who works at Dollond & Aitchison in WGC, will be flying out to Addis Ababa on October 17, alongside eight other dispensing opticians from across the UK.
Upon arrival in the capital, the team will decamp to the city of Awassa, from which they will head out to local villages to provide sight tests and donated spectacles to hundreds of people.
Ethiopia currently has just six qualified optometrists, a fact that is not lost on Graham.
You may also want to watch:
The 32-year-old described his mission as "very important" and said: "Hundreds of Ethiopians come from miles around for this service - you can imagine how many people are walking around virtually blind where all they need is some specs."
Graham, of Marlborough Close, Oaklands, said he expected to test some 200 people a day.
Most Read
- 1 Family of four ‘distraught’ living in single hotel room for nearly five months after house fire
- 2 The latest court results for Welwyn Hatfield and Potters Bar
- 3 6 of the best places to hot tub in and around Hertfordshire
- 4 How Welwyn's White Hart pub improvised after £100K kitchen inferno
- 5 Banned driver jailed following high-speed police chase
- 6 The Proclaimers to headline Folk by the Oak in Hatfield Park
- 7 County success for Phil Embleton while Brookmans Park golfers enjoy annual highlight
- 8 'Another Jo Cox' - Hatfield councillor predicted MP attack months before David Amess death
- 9 Arrests made following stop and searches – including teenager with baton
- 10 Dozens die after catching COVID-19 in our hospitals
"It is going to be hard work," he said.
"It is going to be early starts and late finishes."
But despite this, Graham admitted he can't wait to start work.
"I have never done anything like this before, but I am looking forward to it," he said.
Work colleague Hayley Theed said everyone at the Howardsgate branch was behind Graham's mission.
"It is going to help so may people," she smiled.
The expedition is being organised by Vision Aid Overseas, a UK charity dedicated to helping people in the developing world whose lives are blighted by poor eye sight.
For more information about the charity, visit www.vao.org.uk
