EVERYBODY WORKING IN THE FIELD OF EYE CARE, NEED TO BE UP TO THE CHALLENGES AND BE ALERT TO THE CHANGES TAKING PLACE. TO GIVE THOSE IN NEED THE RIGHT TO SIGHT

Supported by the Lions International District 410A South Africa

Message from the Chairperson

As we step into a new year with Jonga Trust, I am humbled by what we have been able to achieve since the first Jonga Trust seeds were planted in 2008. We are beginning to see the fruits of our hard labour. The year of 2009/2010 has been filled with proud moments, accomplishments and successes. It has also been a challenging year, where we have had to brave the external elements of the recession and its impact, not only on the organisation itself, but more so, on the people we serve. We have seen it as an opportunity to be innovative. Our experiences have confirmed that people and relationships are our most valuable assets – and that when we work together – we are able to face whatever may come.

This last year has been a year of strengthening from within, both in terms of our programs our team. Much of our work over this time has been focused on consolidating our programs, ensuring that we continue to respond to needs for eye care on the ground and adapt to the changing environment. Time has been prioritised to improve our screening, refraction and issuing of spectacles ensuring quality eye care and preventing avoidable blindness, for those who are most vulnerable in our society, being the very young and the elderly. We have ensured that monitoring and evaluation systems are in place. In order to better capture the impact of our work. Our programs have grown over this year – and as the programs have grown, I would like to take this opportunity to thank those who have made this possible – our donors, partner organisation, and the very dedicated Jonga Trust team.

Jonga Trust is looking forward to walking alongside those who need our care in preventing avoidable blindness, supporting them on their journeys in the elderly coping with the activities of daily living and in the young reaching their full potential.

Message from the Board of Trustees

A message from the board usually speaks about the state of finances, the successes and challenges of the organization in the year past and the brave new worlds, which the organisation seeks to strive towards in the year ahead. I would like this year’s message to focus not so much about what Jonga Trust did or wants to do, but rather on ‘how Jonga Trust wants to be’.

But it is de rigueur to briefly touch upon the year past, which I will do before we get into the heart of the matter. The financial systems within Jonga Trust have been stronger than I have ever known them to be.

Jonga Trust, like many other organisations, faced challenges in raising funds, due to the recession, and there were a number of anguished conversations about whether it can survive and with the Department of Health closing the contract for the community based workers we were able to still hold on to a few of the existing staff amidst acute funding shortages. However, some good fiscal measures are in place with some major funding opportunities about to become a reality the financial health is set to grow.

We have managed in this depressed economic climate, to establish the first 20/20 vision centre in Khayelitsha and the community are ensuring this will grow to its full potential Jonga trust will focus more on the quality and the deepening of existing programs and promoting projects in the planning stages at present.. Some of the programs were scaled down to be more sustainable and to render quality eye care.

So when we talk about the health of an organisation, it is critical that we aren’t just looking at bottom lines and outputs, but also asking more fundamental questions about how the organisation can become to realise these important virtues: how can the organisation facilitate the flourishing of the people it serves as well as the people within it?

The year past was a useful reminder for Jonga Trust that before it embarked on any grand plans, it is Important to have a long and hard think about what ‘growth’ really means for the organisation. In an age where we are bombarded by so-called truisms of ‘growth is good’ and ‘bigger is better’, the funding crisis in Jonga Trust allowed it to pause for a moment, to apply the Socratic method and ask ‘why is growth good and bigger better?’ Could it be possible that ‘small is beautiful’ and ‘less is more’?

Jonga Trust is an evolving organisation. It will be important, as they move into this next year, to continue to reflect on their growth in this way to ensure that the services they provide continue to play an essential role in building healthier communities.

Chris A Eksteen Charl R Laäs Dianne Powell

Organisational Report

Board

The executive board consists of Jonga Trust trustees which include Chris Eksteen, Charl Laäs and Dianne Powell.

Chris Eksteen was appointed as Chairperson.
Charl Laäs was appointed as Financial Director.
Dianne Powell was appointed as Project Director.

Plans for 2011-2012

To establish a community based farm worker eye screening program together with Lions District 410A. The first initiative is due to take place in July 2011 in Franschoek.
Jonga trust together with the support of the Lions club Tokai will establish first vision 20/20 centre in Khayelitsha by October 2011
Jonga Trust together with the support of the Lions clubs of district 410A will introduce the first eye screening initiative for young children in crèches and nursery schools in the disadvantaged areas the first of these will take place in October 2011 supported by the Bergvliet Lions Club

Program Reports

Eye Care Awareness Programs 2010

Eye Care Awareness Week 2010 was held from 11 October 2010 till 16 October 2010. This was made possible with various instances partnering with the Department of Health, being Jonga Trust, Lions Service Organisation, Alcon Laboratories, Pick ‘n Pay (Long beach Mall) and Ster Kinekor.

Learners from various schools in the Cape Metropole were pre-screened by School Health nurses and the schools in Malmesbury and surrounds were screened by Jonga Trust’s Community Based Eye Care Workers. Once this was done, optometrists went to the schools to refract the learners flagged by the screeners and the spectacles were made up. On each of these refraction day camps and the outreach the learners were issued with their new spectacles.

$Young pupil receiving and eyetest at the Jonga refraction day camp$

On the refraction day camps (12, 13 and 15 October 2010) the learners received and had their spectacles fitted; had an educational show by either the bird-man or the snake-man; a wholesome lunch donated by Pick ‘n Pay, Long beach Mall and a treasure hunt to end the day.

$Young school children entertained by the snake man during the Jonga refraction day camp$

At the Ster Kinekor outreach in Malmesbury (14 October 2010) the learners were given their spectacles and each one received a box of popcorn and juice.

They were then treated to a movie and given a t-shirt, pen, pencil bag and bracelet with Ster Kinekor logo on.

A wellness day was held at Mfuleni Community Centre (16 October 2010) where members of the community had their eyes screened by Jonga Trust’s Community Based Eye Care Workers and the Department of Health. Those needing refraction and those with eye pathology were referred to their Community Health Centre for further treatment and referral to next level of care.

Rural Farm School Project

Over the past two months the children from three farm schools in Durbanville underwent visual screenings be staff of the Jonga Trust in association with the Rotary Club of Durbanville.

During the course of the program 1148 children from Joostenberg, Kersboslaagte and Alpha schools were screened for possible eye problems. Out of the children screened, 46 of them required glasses and one child was referred for cataract removal.

The screening, eye testing and fitment of the glasses were done by the professional personnel from the Jonga Trust. Each child that needed glasses was able to select a frame of their choice and dispensed with glasses accordingly. These children will now be monitored to see if there is an improvement in their academic performance. Teachers at the schools will receive training from Jonga in order to better identify children with eye problems

The screening, eye testing and fitment of the glasses were done by the professional personnel from the Jonga Trust.

Each child that needed glasses was able to select a frame of their choice and dispensed with glasses accordingly. These children will now be monitored to see if there is an improvement in their academic performance. Teachers at the schools received training from Jonga in order to better identify children with eye problems.

Jonga Trust Community Based Eye Care Worker program

Jonga Trusts Community based eye worker program has shown increased growth screening in the poor communities on the Cape Flats and further afield as shown in the graph below. This is because communities are aware of the Jonga Eye Screening initiatives

Ref NLC refer to next care level, Ref specs refer for refraction and spectacles

Partnership

Jonga Trust has formed a partnership with Ikamva Labantu who are supporting the Vision 20/20 clinic initiative in Khayelitsha.
Lion’s club district 410A who support the community based eye worker program and rural farm worker outreach program

We Need your Help

We invite you to come and see us in action, experience for yourself who benefits from our programs and whose lives we touch thanks to generous support from people like you.

Providing spectacles to disadvantage people is costly and we rely on donations to help those who can’t afford to pay for their sight. If you feel you can help please consider a donation deposited into Jonga Trust bank account:

Jonga Trust

Bank: ABSA

Account number: 9245 038 136

Branch Code: 63 20 05

Alternatively visit our Donation page.

Annual Report 2010-2011