24 January 2018

Winners of the Irvine Aitchison Memorial Fund announced

The two bursary winners of the Irvine Aitchison Memorial Fund (IAMF) which supports students to work with Vision Aid overseas have been announced.

Huma Batha, 20, from City University and Asad Javed, 21, from the University of Bradford have been picked and will be heading off to Africa next summer for two weeks.

They will be supported by Vision Aid Overseas to provide training to local eye care workers, to establish Vision Centres where patients can access eye care services and to support outreach services in rural communities.

Both students were in London for interviews on Wednesday 6 December 2017 and will head off on their assignment to Africa in summer 2018. The exact location has not been chosen yet, however for the last two years it has been in Zambia.

Huma Batha said: “I’m thrilled to have been selected for this bursary. The opportunity to take my skills to a country that urgently needs them is thrilling and a privilege.”

Asad Javed added: “With so many people in developing countries needing support with protecting their eyesight, I cannot think of a better way to give something back than spending some time working with them.”

The volunteers are crucial to Vision Aid Overseas and help them to achieve their mission to fight poverty by transforming access to eye care and affordable glasses in Africa.

For more information on Vison Aid Overseas visit www.visionaidoverseas.org