“I couldn’t see what the teacher wrote on the board, and after a while my eyes would start to hurt,” said Ashayna Williams, a Grade 6 student at John Austin Primary School. “With the glasses, I can see so much better already! At first, I thought I would hate wearing glasses, but I love them. They look like regular sunglasses.”

Williams is one of the children benefiting from a J$525,000 donation of vision kits by N.C.B. Foundation to the Jamaica Society for the Blind (JSB), helping children with visual impairments and vision challenges access critical eye care support.

For Child’s Month, the Foundation partnered with the Jamaica Society for the Blind to support its vision care programme, which provides screenings, assessments, prescription glasses, assistive devices and other eye care services for children in need. Through the initiative, screenings were conducted at five schools across Jamaica, with approximately 200 students identified for further assessment and intervention.

One of those schools was John Austin Primary School, where recurring literacy challenges among some students prompted closer investigation. Principal Ainsworth Williams said the screenings revealed an issue that may otherwise have gone unnoticed.

“When our Literacy Coordinator, Miss Keisha Taylor, raised concerns about students who were consistently struggling in reading sessions across different grade levels, we knew we had to look deeper,” Principal Williams explained. “What we discovered was that some children were not struggling to learn; they were struggling to see. We are happy that our students are now getting the support they need, and hopeful that this will make a meaningful difference in their learning and confidence.”

Sandra Harris, Vision Centre Coordinator at the Jamaica Society for the Blind, said many children continue to live with undiagnosed vision challenges that affect their performance and confidence at school.

“Many children with vision challenges go undiagnosed for far too long, and the effects often show up in the classroom first through reading difficulties, eye strain, reduced participation or declining confidence. Support from N.C.B. Foundation allows us to reach more children earlier, provide critical assessments and interventions, and help remove barriers that can significantly affect a child’s learning and development.”

In addition to its donation, N.C.B. Foundation also hosted students from John Austin Primary School at the Jamaica Society for the Blind for a special engagement day, which included hands-on STEM activities led by STEM Builders Jamaica.

Kadeen Finn Miller, Programme Administrator at N.C.B. Foundation, said the initiative is rooted in helping children fully participate in learning and everyday life.

“Too many children are falling behind in the classroom because of challenges that are entirely treatable,” stated Finn Miller. “At N.C.B. Foundation, we believe something as simple as access to proper vision care should never stand between a child and their ability to learn, participate confidently and reach their full potential. Through this partnership with the Jamaica Society for the Blind, we are happy for the opportunity to help remove one of those barriers for children who need that support most.”