Merriman Lions Club is changing and improving children’s lives one screening at a time.
The Merriman Lions Club is situated in Goodwood at the old Cultural Centre opposite JG Meiring High School. They are a Humanitarian Organisation which renders vision and diabetes screening services to children at disadvantaged schools in Goodwood and surrounding areas.
Alison Alexander, the coordinator for the Vision & Diabetes screening, said this portfolio has always been around, but, not until it affected one of the children at Rainbow House where she is the house mother, did she realise she needed to do more.
“I have at least eight volunteers from Rainbow of Hope who assist me when I go to the schools to do the screening. We operate on the five pillars as set out by Lions International. The five pillars are: childhood cancer, diabetes screening, vision screening, environment, and hunger.”
The Merriman Lions Club consists of 23 members from various social classes.
“I manage a children’s home called Rainbow of Hope and when some of my own children needed specs, I realised how costly it could be. Yet, there was an optometrist, who without me asking, gave my children specs free of charge. There were so many hassles around getting an appointment with the service provider for government. This is the norm, not the exception.
Alexander then started thinking about all the other children in disadvantaged areas and then asked the Merriman Lions Club if she could manage that portfolio for them. They agreed and together with Goldie Locks and the Bears Foundation they started in 2020 with the screening.
“Covid happened and there were many challenges to overcome, but we made it and in September last year of the 3 500 children screened, 350 needed a full optometrist test and of the 350 screened 106 needed spectacles and they received their specs a week later, courtesy of Essilor, Just Eye Wear, VDM Optometrists and a host of other stake holders.
Alexander said after September 2021 “we decided to start our next campaign and allow it to culminate in youth month. We started testing from 8 October which is International Vision Day and to date we have screened nearly 10 000 children for vision and nearly 7 000 for diabetes”.
This project is vital to the children’s education. “I am amazed that of the nearly 10 000 screened for vision 1 122 children need a full eye test and may need spectacles. These children have been sitting in school benches unable to see, but struggling through the day. Too often we take our sight for granted. Children who cannot see properly are regarded as stupid by their peers, yet all they need is specs to get them through the day. Children are failing because they cannot see properly. For me last year it was 106 children who no longer need to think they are stupid. This is huge for their self-esteem!” said Alexander.
According to Alexander, to go to the schools and screen the children takes four Rainbow of Hope volunteers who go to the school with their own transport. But to get 1 122 children screened by an optometrist in one day is virtually impossible.
Elizma from VDM Optometrists engaged with other optometrists, together with frame companies as well as lens companies and set up screening stations at the Merriman Lions Club in Goodwood in the main hall and the children then need to be bussed to the venue. There are 10 schools needing busses and though the organisation does receive a discount from the Golden Arrow Foundation as well as the Golden Arrow Bus company, they are still left with an amount that cannot be paid by the schools as most of the schools are in poverty-stricken areas and are no-fee schools.
Keep in consideration the amazing initiative the Merriman Lions Club are doing. “Should the public and communities decide to contribute to the charges for the buses they must realise that they are contributing to a service that is vital and starkly missing in these impoverished communities.”
The public is encouraged to donate whatever amount you feel prompted to, and know that you will be changing a child’s life irrevocably! There is a sense of wellbeing when doing good. “I know, I feel that every day of my life working in these communities. Communities many of us once lived in,” said Alexander.
