Organisation: University of the Free State
Location: South Africa
Photographer: Myself

In the heart of Ngqeleni, Eastern Cape, lies a community tucked deep within gravel roads and forgotten maps, a place where access to eye care is not just scarce, it’s nonexistent. There isn’t a single optometrist in the entire district. For many, the idea of having their vision tested was a distant dream until now. In honour of Youth Month, we journeyed over eight hours with a group of dedicated optometry students from the University of the Free State to bring this essential service to those who need it most. What we found was heartbreaking: a long queue of hopeful faces, the majority of them women, many elderly, who had never had an eye examination in their lives. Some had been living with blurry vision for years, unknowingly enduring conditions that could be helped. With nowhere else to go, they waited patiently, many in silence, many with gratitude for their first-ever eye test, done by our student volunteers and myself. This was not just a clinic; it was a moment of justice for a marginalised community. A glimpse of light, literally and figuratively, for those left behind. Their smiles afterwards said it all: someone finally came.