Clara Dunbavin, an 11-year-old girl from Lincolnshire, England, spent her Christmas holidays reading, so children living in Africa and India could have the means to read, too. For a school project, she organized a sponsored read to raise funds for Operation Eyesight.
Clara and her mother, Louise, were shocked when they first heard about avoidable blindness. “Not often does something touch me,” says Louise. “But I was horrified to learn that people, especially kids, are losing their eyesight unnecessarily.”
The plight of those living with avoidable blindness hit home for Clara. “I wanted to give to an eyesight charity because I have bad eyesight myself,” she explains.
Clara has to wear eyeglasses to correct her short-sightedness. Her father also struggles with poor eyesight; he developed glaucoma as an adult, and in recent years he has had two operations for a detached retina.
Clara funnelled her passion and creativity into a letter that compelled her family and friends to sponsor her reading marathon. She read an incredible 10 books and raised £30.
Clara says she appreciates how important education is. As a bookworm, she knows it’s easy to take reading for granted. Her father prefers talking books and her mother wears reading glasses, but she knows that these options are not always available to children in India and Africa.
But because of Clara’s generosity, other children can now see to go to school and read their favourite stories, too.
“Operation Eyesight does wonderful work,” says Louise. “It’s a good charity to be able to donate to.”
Clara, thank you for donating not just your sponsorship money, but also your free time, to Operation Eyesight! With your contribution, you have reached across the world to tell other children that their lives matter. What an incredible gift!