Optometry school is already difficult. Imagine attending school where there are depleted resources due to a fire. That is the case at the Malawi School of Optometry Program in Africa. Their School at Mzuzu University suffered a fire in the library, damaging all the resources and materials students had access too. The college is in a developing country in South-East Africa where accessing new equipment and supplies presents a challenge.
Dr. Suraj Upadhyaya, former Lecturer at the Malawi College of Health Science Optometry Dept., and current University of Houston College of Optometry (UHCO) PhD candidate working with Prof. Vallabh Das, along with the Physiological Optics Graduate Student Association at UHCO, rushed into action. They sought out the faculty within UHCO to donate books and reference materials for Malawi. In total, 500 books were donated. After discussion with optometry schools in Malawi the top 219 books were prioritized. Through a partnership with Essilor of America and Optometry Giving Sight, the materials where shipped to Africa. The students were elated to have replacement books thanks to UHCO and Dr. Upadhyaya.
The researchers at UHCO are Enhancing Vision for Life through their global outreach and support of the optometric community.