Melisa Aganpoga Awuni, a 13-year-old Grade 7 student at Ganaa Memorial Primary School in Jirapa, has expressed mixed reactions after being given glasses to help her actively participate in school activities.

“I was between 1st and 5th place in my class, but since I can’t see well, my position has dropped. I am thankful for this show, because thanks to it I will regain my position,” said little Melisa in tears

Although she was happy that the glasses would help her do better in class, she wasn’t sure her father would allow her to wear them.

Melissa’s teachers said that she had suffered from this eye disease for a long time, but her father did not allow her to use the sight device for reasons known to him, and that all efforts to postpone their decision were in vain. This was after Bliss Eye Care, a private eye clinic in Wa, donated glasses to 15 schoolchildren in Jirapa after they were diagnosed with various eye diseases that required them to use visual aids.

This was in partnership with Ghana Vision, a charity based in Switzerland, as part of the Blissful Sight for Kids (BS4Ks) project.

Since its inception in 2015, the BS4Ks project has impacted thousands of children in the Upper West region and beyond through free eye exams, medications, surgeries and glasses, to help them improve their school work and their active participation in the society

The children expressed their gratitude to Bliss Eye Care and their partner for the intervention, as it would have a great impact on their education, and prayed that more children would be freed from similar challenges through this project.

Dr. Zakarea Al-Hassan Balure, optometrist and director of Bliss Eye Care, emphasized the need for parents to take care of their children’s eyes. Naa Dinaa Donglabong Ganaa III, Paramount Chief of Jirapa Traditional Area, acknowledged the importance of early detection of children’s eye problems for their treatment and thanked Bliss Eye Care for their timely intervention.

“It’s better that they were detected earlier to have problems.” I am sure this lens will correct his vision. “Looks are everything and looks are very important, especially for these young people,” he explained.

Mr. Huudu A. The director of Jirapa Municipal Education, K Kunaateh, who received the glasses on behalf of the children, praised the intervention and said it was an innovation in the municipality.

He said that although some parents were aware of their children’s eye problems but could not afford the cost of treatment, the Bliss Eye Care initiative was timely.

Mrs. Florence Angsomwine, Director of Health Services of Jirapa Municipality, testified that her son suffers from poor eyesight, which almost cut off his education, but his situation was saved with glasses.

For this reason, he asked parents to help their children who have received glasses to use them correctly and those children who have eye problems to seek immediate treatment for them.