Development Ratings

The approach the charity takes through the DSCs means that the time taken for the eye examinations and dispensing of spectacles can be very quick, in the order of 20 minutes. While this enables a large number of patients to be seen and treated in a period of time, there is relatively little chance to assess other factors than the patients’ eye condition. There are currently no overseas VAO staff members, and the teams are in the area for only two weeks, so follow-up checks on economic changes or educational improvements cannot be carried out. Evaluations would also not be practical or cost-effective. The number of spectacles dispensed is therefore the main output measurement. The expected number of projects can vary as projects may have to be cancelled at short notice depending on local partner constraints. The 24 projects expected in 2008 turned out to be 22, but 2009 figure may higher than anticipated.

The overall charitable project expenses cover the training costs of in-country health practitioners (around 9 in 2008), who will go on to attend to their own patients. It also includes the setting up of the workshops to supply spectacles materials and local manufacturing capacity. It has been estimated that the trained technicians could dispense 60 spectacles a day, so there is the potential for each of them to benefit some 20,000 additional people per year once fully trained. The cost per direct beneficiary figure does not, therefore, represent the cost of just servicing patients with spectacles and is an over-statement. But, clearly, regardless of the existence of detailed income-related output data, each recipient of spectacles has been directly benefited, to a greater or lesser extent depending on the severity of the original condition.