TREKS For SPECS
An independent volunteering project created to make recycled eyeglasses and sunglasses accessible to rural underprivileged and marginalized communities in the Himalayan region of Nepal. TREKS FOR SPECS was created by a couple whose love for trekking ignited a passion to TREK WITH MEANING. Its intention is experiencing trekking that goes beyond climbing to famous base camps, summiti
ng the highest peaks and photographing astonishing vistas and iconic sites but rather to touch and improve the lives of as many people as they possibly can along their trekking routes in lesser known villages of the Himalayas. TREKS For SPECS purpose is to organize, volunteer and to personally distribute recycled eyeglasses and sunglasses on foot to locals in the impoverished communities of the Himalayas in Nepal where accessibility to Eyecare is extremely limited. Why are eyeglasses and sunglasses necessary in high altitude villages in Nepal? The Healthcare system in Nepal is disease-oriented rather than based on primary health care and its accessibility is limited to affordability in urban areas focusing on curative services and where Eyecare becomes secondary. Millions of people in Nepal, especially in rural areas suffer from some form of visual impairment which in many cases are avoidable. Cataracts (clouding of the eye’s lens), Macular degeneration (damage to retina which destroys central vision) and Pterygium (tissue growth over the white part of the eye) are some of the effects of prolonged exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays, especially in high altitudes. This is a crucial public health problem which needs to be effectively addressed by raising public awareness.
