About us
by Anne and Peter Corder
Little did we know that the concept would capture the imagination of everyone we shared it with….
We have been humbled by the generosity of businesses, friends, and contacts - who have all bought into the philosophy that the only currency that really matters in life is human kindness.
We have travelled around Southern and East Africa for 35 years. It takes a piece of your heart. So when we both sold our respective businesses a few years ago, we decided we wanted to give something back to a continent that had given us so much.
We took a few spare pairs of reading glasses out with us one year to give to local people and they proved so incredibly life changing we pledged to collect more. Specs for Africa was born.
In our first four years we have delivered almost 20,000 pairs of specs and sunglasses to over 30 projects thanks to the generosity of business-people, school groups, holidaymakers and other contacts - all of whom have donated some of their hold luggage to carry a bag or two of specs with them.
How we do it…
We also use air freight services for major projects where specs/sunglasses need to be delivered at scale.
Specs for Africa collects pre-loved spectacles and sunglasses in the UK and sends them out to community projects across Southern and East Africa.
A growing network - including friends, family, business contacts, corporate partners, opticians, schools, hospitals, and various community groups across the UK - send their pre-loved specs donations to us in Lincolnshire.
What we do…
We assess; measure lens strength; clean & label them; pop them into microfibre pouches and pack them into cotton drawstring bags ready for transportation out to our target countries of Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and Malawi.
Many people in rural African communities simply accept the reality that they can no longer see very well to read, learn or do close-up work. There are no high-street opticians to get free eye tests, and even if there were, spectacles and sunglasses are hard to afford.
Why we do it…
Specs for Africa is filling a huge void - and transforming lives. People are able to resume close-up work; improve their education; read books and learn new things. The transformation is life-changing. We have seen it with our own eyes!