(PRESS RELEASE) NEWTON, MA — In a small workshop in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Thierry Nassouri forms a piece of spring steel wire using a novel bending machine. No electricity required. A few minutes later, he has an eyeglass frame. Add pre-ground lenses, and a pair of glasses that would cost $200 in America is ready for less than $1 in materials.
Nassouri is one of over 530 people worldwide who have been trained to become vision care providers through GoodVision, a Newton-based nonprofit that announced this week it has delivered its one millionth pair of locally-manufactured eyeglasses. Rather than shipping glasses from America, GoodVision trains people like Nassouri to become their community’s vision care providers.
“Three years ago, I had no steady work,” said Nassouri, who now manages eye camps serving thousands annually. “Now I run a business that helps people see. My neighbors don’t wait for charity—they know they can get glasses made here, by someone they trust.”
The approach addresses a staggering global need: 950 million people worldwide need glasses but cannot access or afford them. Traditional solutions like importing glasses or sending volunteers prove expensive, temporary and unsustainable. GoodVision’s model creates permanent local capacity.
Here’s how it works: Local technicians receive intensive year-long training in vision testing and eyeglass production using portable equipment that requires no electricity. They conduct free eye screenings, bend frames from spring steel wire, and insert pre-ground lenses that fit common prescriptions. Communities price glasses at two to three days’ local wages—affordable locally, sustainable long-term.
“The most radical thing about Thierry’s workshop isn’t the simple technology or the $1 cost per pair of glasses.” said Matt Gianino, Executive Director of GoodVision USA. ” It’s that he makes decisions about how best to serve his community without asking permission from anyone in the US.”
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That local decision-making has enabled rapid scaling across 11 countries where programs have conducted almost 3 million free eye screenings while maintaining quality standards through annual recertification. When provided glasses, students perform better in school and the economic prospects for adults improve. The approach proves that high-quality vision care can be delivered sustainably in the world’s poorest regions.
Research shows every dollar invested in vision care returns $36 in economic benefits. GoodVision multiplies that impact by keeping production, jobs, and expertise within communities rather than importing solutions.
As global development budgets shrink, the organization’s approach offers proof that locally-driven models are the best strategic approach to solving global problems in the long term. While some aid creates dependency, GoodVision creates providers.
“The cycle of poverty has been disrupted for a million people because their neighbors learned a skill,” Gianino said. “That’s not aid. That’s economics.”
