Impact Stories

In September, the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation hosted a vision clinic in the UK at three different sites that served 532 people in need. The clinic largely served the asylum seeker population. One patient named Elhadi was an Asylum Link volunteer and was a great support with translation. He is an asylum seeker himself, so is unable to work in the UK. In his native Sudan, he was a human rights activist, supporting people in Darfur and looking after Serbian refugees. “I just wanted to help and support these people,” he said, gesturing to the other patients. He was 42 and had only been in the UK for 45 days. It is likely he will be waiting another two years before knowing if he will be granted asylum. Elhadi initially didn’t want a sight test as he lost his last pair and wanted us to help those more in need. A truly kind and selfless person.​