Honouring humanitarian vision

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This article was published 15/09/2020 (2214 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If it wasn’t for the coronavirus pandemic, Winnipeg pastor Greg Wiens would be in Washington, D.C., this week.

On Thursday, Global Vision 2020 — the organization he works for part-time as faith-based outreach co-ordinator — will receive a Patents for Humanity award from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Instead, Wiens will be watching a livestream from home as the organization is honoured for the innovative way it is helping people in the developing world perform eye tests and obtain inexpensive prescription eyeglasses.

Global Vision 2020 is one of six organizations being honoured, as the Patent Office recognizes innovators “who use game-changing technology to meet global humanitarian challenges.”

In its announcement, the Patent Office noted the organization’s USee Vision Kit “provides prescription eyeglasses in a cost-effective way to hundreds of people who normally lack access to vision care, particularly in remote parts of the world.”

“It’s quite an honour,” said Wiens, 45, who pastors the Westwood Community Church in Winnipeg, part of the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches.

He gives full credit to founder and executive director Kevin White, who invented the self-serve kit.

“It’s uses the same concept as binoculars,” said Wiens, explaining how it works. “Users turn a dial until they can clearly see the eye chart. They select their own prescription.”

Once the prescription is known, the user is matched with a pair of lenses in an inexpensive frame.

“Because of the simplicity, we can serve hundreds of people a day,” he said, noting to date more than 50,000 people have received glasses. Each pair costs about US$5.

For Wiens, the number of people served is just a drop in the bucket.

“Worldwide, two-and-half-billion people need glasses but can’t afford them,” he said. “It’s one of the world’s largest unmet global disabilities.”

How Wiens became involved with the organization is a story in itself. He became interested after reading an article in National Geographic in 2008, about how White was helping people in the developing world get affordable eyeglasses.

“I just knew I needed to contact him,” Wiens said, acknowledging it was a crazy idea.

“It just wouldn’t let me go,” he said. “I dreamed about it three nights in a row. I heard the voice of God. He told me I needed to get involved to help people see better.”

He connected with White, a retired U.S. Marine who became involved in the cause in 2005, when he was head of humanitarian and civic assistance operations in Africa and Eastern Europe for the U.S. military.

In that capacity, White saw the distribution of used eyeglasses “and was not impressed with the efficiency. No one received 20/20 in both eyes, and often people would pick the frame they liked (versus) the prescription they needed. I thought we could do better than that.”

When Wiens called him, “I thought here is a man on a mission,” said White, who lives in Maryland. “I told myself I will help him in every way I can because he wants to help me solve this global problem.”

White liked Wiens’ idea of involving church groups.

“Faith-based groups are all about service to others, and outreach to others,” said White. “Those outreaches often go to places where people have limited, or no access to many of the things we take for granted such as eyeglasses. Who better to partner with?”

So far, Wiens has trained people from 28 organizations and churches to use the kit, including from Mennonite, Pentecostal, Lutheran, Roman Catholic, and Anglican. Glasses and other materials are stored at the Mennonite Brethren Ministry Centre in Winnipeg.

Wiens’ ultimate goal is to see the kits be used to help people in the developing world create self-sustaining businesses.

“I don’t want to be a ‘white saviour,’ someone who comes and then leaves,” he said. “I want to train local people so they can start businesses, earn income, and take care of their own families.”

While pleased about the award, what means more to Wiens are all the people impacted.

“When you see someone who can see clearly for first time, you just weep over it,” he said. “It changes everything about their lives.”

faith@freepress.mb.ca

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