Philipsburg – On Friday 22nd October 2021, MP Ludmila Duncan launched her first annual Project: Hope in Sight. The initiative offers free prescription eye wear to children 16 and under whose families may be vulnerable, or cannot afford, to purchase glasses.
“I started wearing glasses at 12. I can remember sitting at the bus stop in front of Academy with my friends when they pointed to some one down the road. It felt sudden, but I realized only in that moment that my vision was blurred. The next day in school, I struggled to see the chalk board from the back of the class. I remember feeling embarrassed about it,” recalled the MP.
Prescription eye wear on St. Maarten is known to be quite expensive. “I want to help those children who need it. There’s a saying that goes; if we share the same world, we should share the same vision. When my parents bought me my first pair of glasses, I didn’t think about how much they cost. Now I am quite aware of how lucky I was to get them,” noted Duncan.
“There are children in our society struggling with vision impairment and losing the fight against preventable eye diseases because their families can’t afford the necessary eyewear. If they can’t see, how can they learn? Project: Hope in Sight offers a helping hand,” concluded the MP. Interested persons are asked to send an e-mail to mpludmiladuncan@gmail.com with a short bio of the child; name, age and contact info of a parent before October 30th, 2021.