Ster-Kinekor Theatres’ Vision Mission commemorates World Sight Day

The young audience is orphaned children from Cotlands Children’s Home and Koinonia, who are involved in ‘The Little Eye’ programme.

Launched in 2005, Vision Mission has for the past 10 years offered eye sight screening and spectacles to children from previously disadvantaged backgrounds across the country. With over 281 100 beneficiaries to date, the programme aims to eradicate preventable blindness in children.

To commemorate World Sight Day 2015 on Thursday, 8 October Vision Mission invited 100 programme beneficiaries to experience a movie on the big screen for the first time, with their brand new spectacles.

For Ster-Kinekor, sight is integral to appreciating the wonderful and magical world of cinema on the big screen. Explaining the company’s commitment to providing eye care solutions for school going learners, Ster-Kinekor CSI Manager Geraldine Engelman said that research has revealed that blindness could be avoided in 8 out of 10 blind cases in our country if proper testing is conducted at an early age. Since a child’s visual system is fully developed between 10 and 11 years, a problem, discovered early, can often be corrected and vision preserved.

“This National Eye Care Day we want to bring the joy and excitement of cinema to the learners from the farms surrounding Paarl and Stellenbosch who have received spectacles through the Vision Mission programme. This will be their first cinema experience and it is sure to be a real treat for them.”

Over the years, Ster-Kinekor has partnered with various strategic partners including the national departments of Health, Education and Social Development, as well as the South African Optometric Association, the Brien Holden Vision Institute and Spec Savers, to name a few.

Vision has a great impact on the learning process. As a result, poor eye sight can not only make the learning experience rather uncomfortable, it also hinders progress in the classroom, sporting and extra-mural ability and social integration. Through the support of these partners, and the generous donations from the South African public, Vision Mission has been able to screen over 279 000 disadvantaged learners and provide spectacles for bout 10 193 learners.

As the company commemorates 10 years of eliminating the refractive errors in underprivileged school children across the country, further cinema screenings will be held from Monday, 26 to Friday, 30 October at various Ster-Kinekor sites around the country, to give learners the special opportunity to experience ‘Great Moments at Their Greatest’.

The next time you visit the cinema or book online, opt in to make a contribution to Ster-Kinekor’s Vision Mission when prompted during the booking process. Giving someone the precious gift of eye sight is as simple as making a minimum donation of R2.50.

For more information on Vision Mission please, click here.

To follow National Eye Care Awareness month activities, connect with Ster-Kinekor Theatres on Facebook and/or follow them on Twitter.