FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 20, 2025

Contact: Tom Kibet | info@iamnuru.org

KABARTONJO – Nuru Kenya has partnered with Dot Glasses to bring affordable, accessible eyewear and vision training to rural communities in Baringo County. This partnership addresses the lack of accessibility to vision care providers and specialist doctors in remote areas, as well as the high cost of eyeglasses. This collaboration is strengthened by the fact that both the Nuru Collective and Dot Glasses are grantees of the Livelihood Impact Fund, underscoring a shared commitment to improve livelihoods by expanding access to essential services in underserved areas.

Addressing the Barrier of Cost and Access to Eye Care

Accessing eyeglasses and vision care is very difficult for smallholder farmers and pastoralists in Baringo County, Kenya. If a rural Baringo County resident visits an eye clinic, the total cost of the eyewear could be between KSH 12,000-20,000 KSH (approximately USD $90-150). This cost is prohibitive for smallholder rural residents seeking eye care,, as much of the population faces extreme poverty. 

The eyewear provided through the Nuru Kenya and Dot Glasses partnership is designed to overcome these financial barriers. The glasses, which include both frames and lenses made of plastic that do not break easily, are sold for approximately KSH 1,200 (approximately USD $9). This affordability is critical, and it saves community members the expense of having to travel long distances for care.

A farmer undergoing an eye test

Program Implementation and Impact

Distribution of the glasses began following training sessions on October 27-28. The partnership operates on a sustainable, community-driven model. Nuru Kenya purchases the glasses and issues them to local cooperatives as a starting point, or seed capital.

Dot Glasses provides trainers on the ground who train cooperative leaders. These leaders are equipped to easily test eyesight using charts. The glasses (including sunglasses) are then sold through the cooperative, making the process an income-generating activity for the cooperative itself. Although sold at a very low cost, the cooperative is still able to generate a profit.

Partnership Impact: Vision Care is Critical to Rural Livelihoods

For the smallholder farmers that Nuru Kenya serves, corrected vision can have a big impact, as it makes sorting through harvested grains easier, reducing post-harvest loss. When training is provided, clear vision ensures that farmers are able to fully grasp the training material provided to them and learn effectively. In other rural communities where Dot Glasses works, they’ve also noted that “farmers with good vision experience less fatigue and maintain concentration for longer periods, leading to higher productivity.”

The farmer looks on the records after getting the right set of eyeglasses

One Baringo County resident, a former village chief, bought the Dot Glasses and was very happy that he is now able to read his Bible and the SMS text messages on his phone. Noting the importance of good eyecare, he urged Nuru Kenya and the Dot Glasses team to frequent the market and provide the services to the community members. 

“This was a different type of service we provided to the smallholder farmers we work with. They were very interested in the project and quickly signed up for the training. It was a blended approach where the trainees were educated on the various eye illnesses, how to identify who should be referred to the hospital for treatment and who should be given the vision glasses. The trainees then mobilized their respective communities for eye camps and were able to demonstrate the knowledge and skills they had learnt. It was a very successful training program. There were 17 smallholder cooperatives that benefited from the program and acquired the start up kits for their project.” – Nuru Kenya Managing Director Pauline Wambeti

Nuru Kenya’s Role in Supporting Eye Care

In rural communities with limited resources, cooperative agribusinesses often fill the gaps for community members in addition to being a source of income for community members and providing access to services like loans, training, and quality inputs. The introduction of affordable vision care aligns with Nuru Kenya’s mission to build the resilience of rural communities, as both thriving cooperatives and good eyesight are critical for farming and pastoralist activities.

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About Nuru Kenya:

Established in 2008, Nuru Kenya is a locally-led organization in Kenya and a member of the Nuru Collective, a network of organizations united by the vision of a world without cycles of unjust poverty, where resilience and hope are cultivated in the most marginalized communities. Nuru Kenya’s mission is to build the resilience of smallholder agricultural communities in six counties of remote rural Kenya by eradicating extreme poverty and establishing sustainable locally-owned agribusinesses by 2030.

About Dot Glasses:

Dot Glasses is a social enterprise focused on addressing the global lack of access to affordable vision care. Through partnerships and training, Dot Glasses provides durable, low-cost eyewear and empowers local leaders to conduct basic eye testing and distribute glasses within their communities, ensuring that critical vision needs are met sustainably and locally.