Prevent Blindness Africa

Lucky Aziken is an exceptional Optometrist working to provide sustainable access to quality and affordable eye care services in neglected communities in Nigeria. He is a visionary servant leader committed to the course of improving lives and solving key problems of society which is exemplified in his work. He is the founder of several initiatives; Vision Care Givers International initiative, a frontline Non-profit promoting eye health, health education and community development. VCGi Health Systems Ltd, a social enterprise running a network of eye clinics, Vision Hub Academy, a virtual platform training the next generation global leaders, emedisar.com, an online medical information and artificial intelligence system helping people achieve their health goals, and COVID-19 Mission to Prisons, protecting inmates In correctional facilities from the coronavirus pandemic. With these initiatives, he is making a difference in the lives of over 700,000 people across the globe

Globally there are about 2.2 billion people suffering from visual impairment or blindness, of which at least 1 billion have a vision impairment that could have been prevented. Over 90% of people suffering from visual impairment live in developing countries.  Africa is the most vulnerable continent of all with over 6 million blind people. Blindness and visual impairment reduces the quality of life and severely affects economic growth. Prevent Blindness Africa aims to tackle the major barriers to quality eye health country by country across the continent.  Some of the identified barriers are ignorance, lack of access to eye clinics and poverty. The project aims to provide adequate eye health education, access to quality and affordable eye care services in communities. The goal is to create an Africa where no one is needlessly blind and everyone is living their dreams exploring educational, vocational and employment opportunities.  

According to the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (2015), Africa has very frightening figures, there are about 120 million people suffering from distance and near vision impairment. 4 out of every 5 blind people are needlessly blind.

In Nigeria, the National Blindness and Visual Impairment Survey (2005-2007) revealed that 4.25 million adults aged 40 years are visually impaired, and 1.13 million are currently blind. The survey is not a true reflection of the crisis, it didn’t include those below 40 years, research finding seem out-dated and nothing recent is available. All over Africa, there is a big issue with documentation and it is right to say the problem is underestimated. In Nigeria and in many African countries, there is high level ignorance, people are not aware of how to care for their eyes, and the need for regular eye examination. Eye care facilities are not equitably distributed; it is considered a specialist service available only in tertiary hospitals. A few secondary centres and private clinics supplement efforts, of which most are in major cities. There is the shortage of qualified eye care professionals. The cost of seeking quality eye care is rather expensive making it unaffordable.   

Prevent Blindness Africa is an initiative developed to confront the identified causes of the increasing prevalence of blindness and visual impairment in communities across Africa using four main approaches. Firstly, eye health education, the project is massively and aggressively spreading eye health knowledge using every available health promotion media such as prints, radio and physical trainings.

Secondly, access to quality eye care, we have broken eye care into primary, secondary and tertiary levels. It is creating multiple centres of primary care in every community either as physical structures or mobile clinics.

Thirdly, affordable care, through a system approach, cost of services, eyeglasses and ophthalmic products are affordably priced with discount options given to the very poor. Fourthly, Technology, we are using the digital space to advance the spread of health knowledge. Also, we are providing remote consultation and counselling seamlessly using Telehealth platforms.

We work to provide access to quality eye care in neglected and underserved communities in Nigeria and Malawi. Our focus is ensuring equitable distribution of basic health care across climes. People should not live disadvantaged lives because of where they come from or reside.

In Nigeria, we work in 35 communities in the southern part of the country. Many of them live in the riverine communities and are exposed to river blindness and other debilitating conditions. We work closely with their community leaders to identify critical issues that bother them and how to best approach them. We share education materials, organize lectures and conduct community eye health programs. We set up eye clinics where the need is highest.

In Malawi, we work in a refugee camp, with a population size of over 40,000 coming from 5 different countries. In the camp we periodically provide access to quality eye care which was previously absent. Working with the United Nations High commission for Refugee (UNHCR), we develop initiatives that educate and empower refugees to properly care for their eyes. We provide free eye glasses and ophthalmic drugs to the community

Globally, we reach a wider audience via our online platform www.visioncaregivers.org.  

Blindness and poverty are intimately linked. Poverty makes people blind and blindness makes people poor. Many children lose educational opportunities because of a defective vision. A recent research estimates that $269 billion is the productivity loss in the workplace because of visual impairment. It is very difficult to elevate opportunities for all people without first removing the barrier of visual impairment. Prevent Blindness Africa aims to draw global attention to the issue of visual impairment in Africa and drive action in solving it across communities working closely with community members to ensure no one is needlessly blind or impoverished

In 2006, armed robbers attacked our home and shot my dad in the face. Luckily, he got prompt medical care but couldn’t get the same quality of eye care anywhere in our community. Painfully, he lost his eyes to post-traumatic raised intraocular pressure that could have been avoided if he had access to an eye doctor. In my despair, I studied to become an eye doctor and dedicated my professional life to fight blindness and provide sustainable access to quality eye care for people. I founded Vision Care Givers International Initiative, a non-profit with the vision of taking quality eye health to all Nations. Prevent Blindness Africa is one of the many projects I have pioneered.

Nothing hurts like seeing a loved one become blind and everyone is helpless. I know the feeling and I believe it can be avoided if we stood up for the vulnerable and neglected in our societies. Prevent Blindness Africa gives me an opportunity to fulfil my lifetime commitment to end avoidable blindness in the continent. After the ordeal of my father, I vowed to make sure nobody else suffers his fate and I am particularly drawn to under-served communities because they are mostly at risk. For me, this is not just a project, it is my life and I am passionately working to build a legacy for my dear father. 

I obtained a Doctor of Optometry degree from the University of Benin and graduated as the best clinical student. Subsequently, I had post-graduate training in Management at the Nigerian Institute of management. In 2018, I was selected by the U.S government to participate in the Mandela Washington fellowship for young African leaders and I was trained in leadership in civic engagement at the University of Virginia and College of William & Mary in conjunction with the Presidential Precinct. I took a course in Global blindness, planning and managing eye care services by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. I have also taken several online courses in Project management, Design thinking, and community development. Currently, I am concluding my master’s degree in Clinical Optometry at Cardiff University, Wales. I have a vast experience in community leadership and social innovation. Recently, I made the list of top 20 social innovators in Nigeria by LEAP Africa.

I am exceptionally skilled in strategic planning and administration and have initiated and completed projects in over 50 communities in Africa.  In 2015, I led the eye care team for the Rural Africa Health Initiative (RAHI) project to communities affected by militancy activities in the Niger delta. In 2014, I served as field coordinator for the MyWorld Priority survey that brought about the sustainable development goals and my team won best survey team in the state. In 2013, I served in the presidential committee working to combat the surge of avoidable blindness in Bauchi State.  

The coronavirus pandemic came as one of the greatest disruption of modern history. It caused great fear and panic in almost every country. At the heat of the fear and confusion resulting from the lockdown and restriction of movement set up by many governments to control the spread of the virus, I decided to take responsibility for the welfare of the vulnerable population in the society, working to protect those who are least able to protect themselves. I initiated the COVID-19 Mission to Prisons aimed at protecting inmates from the pandemic. In the midst of the challenge, I and my team came up with a new antiseptic formula that kills microbes faster and foams like normal soap. We mass-produced them, designed awareness posters and established wash stations in correctional facilities in Nigeria, all these we did in the midst of a lockdown (https://presidentialprecinct.org/ensuring-rights-to-health-for-prisoners-in-nigeria/). I am an optimist and I transform obstacles into opportunities. I turn pain into purpose and inspire people to take leadership against all odds.

In 2019, I was selected to attend the global summit of young leaders in London, organized by the One Young World as a delegate scholar. I was sponsored by Gilead Sciences because they found my work really inspiring. Immediately after the summit, where I exhibited great leadership, I was appointed to serve as chairman, One Young World Healthcare working group, local and global. Currently, I coordinate activities of young health leaders in 190+ countries, helping to inspire action towards the sustainable development goals. In the heat of the pandemic, I worked closely with the 4SD team to provide global direction for countries to create a COVID-ready state. (See Link https://www.4sd.info/reflections/the-3-ps-of-a-covid-ready-world/)

Also, I founded Vision Hub Academy, a virtual platform where I coach and mentor young visionary leaders for a period of 6 months. Currently I have 33 of them undergoing training. I am not just taking action in my community; I am raising a generation of young people doing same. I am not just a leader; I am a leader of leaders and a role model to many.

This is the first time we are very close to solving the issue of avoidable blindness in the continent. Other initiatives have focused on one aspect of the problem, creating community access to eye care through outreaches that are often short-lived. There are others that have established clinics and yet turnout was low because the people are not aware why they should come for an eye examination.  We are beginning with health education, empowering people with the right to their own eye health. Everywhere we brought education before care, the outcomes were phenomenal. We had better community engagement as the people were able to ask questions, clear doubts and wrong beliefs.

Secondly, we have broken down eye care supposedly considered as specialist care available only in tertiary hospitals. With our Vision Care Homes, primary eye care is made available to the community, thereby decongesting the tertiary centres. Thirdly, because we run a network of physical and mobile clinics we are able to buy consumables in wholesale helping us beat down cost for the end users.  Finally, we are spearheading the use of telemedicine for eye care to reach riverine communities. This has become a necessity considering the COVID-19 realities. We have explored technology in greater ways not thought possible years ago.  

Under the health education arm, we have reached 1.5 million people by direct physical training, print, radio and online blog. Our educational materials and content have been accessed in 187 countries. In the next one year and five years, we aspire to elevate and reach 3 million and 16.5 million people respectively with sound health knowledge.

With our mobile clinics and community based programs, we have provided quality eye care to over 14,000 people; 12,348 people in 35 communities in Nigeria and 1,795 refugees in Malawi. In one year and five years, we intend to serve 20,000 and 70,000 patients respectively in different communities across Africa.

In our four physical clinics in Nigeria, we have provided services to 5,467 patients in communities in south-south Nigeria and we intend to increase the number of these clinics to 10 in the next one year and 50 in the next five years serving a total population of 30,000 and 150,000 respectively.  

My life’s purpose is to help people maximize potentials and fulfil their dreams. I envision a world where no one is needlessly blind and everyone is having the required visual capacity to become all they ever want. I have a lifetime commitment for the growth and development of Africa. In the next year, my goal is to grow capacity that can match with the expected sporadic organizational growth in the coming years. I believe the project and our organization will only be as strong as the strength of its leadership.   In the next five years, I expect growth in four key areas. Firstly, growth in the quality of services we provide. With more sophisticated and up-to-date diagnostic equipment that are able to detect earliest changes in patient’s eye health.

Secondly, growth in the number of people we serve. As we try to close down on the blindness epidemic in the continent, we expect to reach about 18 million people cumulatively when all approaches are implemented. Thirdly, growth in the number of clinics we operate. We plan to run a network of 1000 clinics in 20 years, so by the 5th year, we expect to have reached 150 physical and mobile clinics. Finally, growth in staff strength, to achieve all the other goals more efficiently, we expect to be able to attract, hire and train a quality workforce. In 5 years, we plan to have a total of 500 employees working on the different aspects of the initiative.

My greatest desire is to grow and learn how to manage complex organizational structures at multinational levels. Currently, I have not been able to get the right training opportunity. I don’t feel very confident in my managerial ability to run these initiatives at the level we have planned. Exploring all technology has to offer in health care has been very challenging within our sphere, as people with the required skills are not easy to come by, this has limited our work, especially with the development of ‘Reka’ a robot that works as a personal medical advisor to user.

Also, working in a low and middle income country makes it very difficult to get the required amount of funding to scale up projects. Getting this far had been a case of resilience and determination against all odds.  

Firstly, I wanted to improve my clinical skills and be able to provide professional eye care services comparable to those in developed countries. Luckily, I was offered a commonwealth scholarship by the U.K government and I am about to complete a Master’s degree in Cardiff University by distance learning. At present, I want to develop managerial capacity to drive our initiatives to its full potential and that is why I am applying to the Elevate Prize program.

Also, I have been working passionately on securing more funding to scale up. I have applied to some funding opportunities and awaiting response. We have secured a few supports that had helped us reach this height.

Our first priority is to ensure everyone has access to at least an eye examination following our awareness and education efforts. So we provide free comprehensive eye examination in all our clinics. The physical facilities are called Vision Care Home, because they are modelled after a home appearance and people are able to freely walk in and have their eyes examined. Our mobile clinics, does same by taking these services to the door step of those who need it. We attract clients by the quality of our services and not primarily based on the free access and as a result we are able to serve both the rich, middle class and poor in the society. After examination, our patients pay for their treatment cost, medications, spectacles, contact lenses or low vision devices. Our revenue stream comes mainly from the purchase of products. We run economies of scale, attracting a large pool of clients and making the rich pay fully for their treatment so the poor are able to enjoy some discounts.

When I started Vision Care Givers international, I aspired to create a non-donor driven initiative that is self-reliant and scalable. Sustainability is a huge concept embedded in our work. We generate consistent revenue from three sources: purchase of products, payment for special services and corporate consulting. So our clients come in for free examination, but are made to pay for eyeglasses and medication when prescribed and they are highly affordable. Some of our very influential clients prefer home visits and they pay for such special services. In corporate consulting we work with organizations to serve their health education and the consulting needs of employees. Donations and grants are secondary sources used majorly to expand or organize community projects. Also, our operational strategy aims to cut high overhead cost. We run our centres with renewable energy to reduce the burden of energy generation. We run a low staff-size of highly motivated people who can multitask. We buy consumables for all units in large quantity for a good price. Finally, we leverage relationships to drive our work, for example, our radio promotional activities are not paid with cash; we provide free discounted services for the members of staff of the radio station for an exchange of airtime to teach eye health to the public monthly.    

For the purpose of confidentiality, I will provide a summary of funds received and revenue generated. We have received donation and grants to the tune of $35,000 and have generated by direct revenue up to $50,000

Our donors are mainly international development organizations and charities.

I want to inspire global transformational change especially amongst young people. I am applying to the Elevate Prize, so my story can be heard and people everywhere can be challenged to take responsibility for their communities regardless of the setbacks. I turned my pain to purpose when my dad lost his eyes because of a lack of access, today with renewed hopes; I am preventing blindness across communities.

Furthermore, I am at the tipping point in my journey and in dare need of professional development experience that aligns with my desire to run multinational initiatives sustainably. Also, I want to be a part of a powerful network of influencers to be able to drive change in higher levels than I am currently. On the issue of advancing in our use of technology for health, I expect that I will also have the opportunity to connect with tech experts that can partner to develop and deploy our technology solutions for global use.

Finally, the fund allocated for this prize will go a long way in elevating our work to more communities and produce exponential impact.