Bril Optometrists is launching a new community project that will better the lives of many. Bril will be debuting their Vision Box-initiative in the heart of the Mbekweni community, which is located between Paarl and Wellington. The aim will be to aid the residents with quality and affordable eye care services.
The Vision Box community initiative logo Photo: Bril/Instagram
The Central Bureau of Statistics conducted a study which found that up to 61% of all people need glasses, whether it be for basic vision or for reading. Eye care services are therefore needed in most communities.
The eyewear industry is of such a nature that most of the products are expensive. According to Statistics South Africa, the country is faced with an unemployment rate of 27,1%. This percentage contributes to the issue that some people with vision problems can’t afford glasses. Vision Box aims to relieve communities from this burden.
Vision Box is the brainchild of Werner Fourie, owner and establisher of Bril Optometrists. Fourie has been a successful practice owner for the past decade and has recently opened a new practice in Stellenbosch.
A customer entering Bril Stellenbosch . Photo: Bril/Instagram
After spending two years on the board of the Optometry Society of South Africa, Fourie realised that for a community project to be successful, one must keep the overhead costs as low as possible. This serves as the core of the Vision Box community project.
The services Vision Box will deliver to the Mbekweni community, will take place from within a branded container. The nature of the Vision Box container practice will not only minimise travel costs for Mbekweni residents, but it will also minimise the running costs of the project and make it mobile if there ever needs to be a change in location.
Bril will be collaborating with the Inceba Trust, a trust which focuses on early childhood development within the Mbekweni community. According to the head of the Inceba Trust, Nielen Bekker, they will be conducting hearing and vision screenings for up to a thousand children in Mbekweni.
With the help of the designer of the Vision Box, Karla Swanepoel, Bril will succeed in making the Vision Box a space which reflects the experience of visiting a private optometrist practice. Fourie stated that when visiting the Vision Box, “it will be nothing like the experience at a state hospital”.
The virtual design of what the Vision Box will look like. Designer: Karla Swanepoel
The Vision Box-initiative will also promote Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) in the form of entrepreneurial development. Bril will supply training and mentorship for those who aspire to become an owner of a Vision Box practice.
The ultimate goal of the Vision Box is to supply less privileged people with glasses for a tenth to a quarter of the actual price and to empower optometrists to be successful with a Vision Box practice.
The virtual design of what the Vision Box will look like. Designer: Karla Swanepoel
The words of Fourie’s sister, Liscinda van Eck, captures the essence of Bril’s business culture and success: “We will always rebel against the norm. We live and we love. We say no to ugly glasses and yes to giving back. Our vision scares us a little but excites us a lot.”