LONDON—Vision for a Nation (VFAN) has made the shortlist for this year’s Charity Awards, the U.K. charity sector’s most prestigious and longest-running awards program.

VFAN has been shortlisted in the International Aid and Development category for its project: “Delivering Primary Eye Care to the Whole of Rwanda.” VFAN has successfully supported the Rwandan health ministry to provide 100 percent of the country’s 10.5 million people with access to local and affordable eyecare.

The Charity Awards is the sector’s most highly-regarded “excellence recognition” program. All shortlisted charities have been judged by an independent panel of sector leaders as having demonstrated “outstanding best practices” from which other organizations can learn. The winners will be announced at a ceremony and dinner on June 9 at the Mermaid Theatre in London’s Blackfriars.


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“We are honored to be recognized by such a prestigious organization in such a critical category of work,” said Tom Rosewall, CEO of VFAN. “With our support, Rwanda—a failed state just one generation ago—has now accomplished something in the public health sector that no other emerging nation has succeeded with.

“Globally, 2.5 billion people live like Rwandans did three years ago—no access to affordable local eyecare; in short, they could not see clearly. Think of what your life would look life if you could not—your ability to learn, to work, to interact with family and friends; the negative consequences on an entire nation. Perhaps the single largest public health issue is eyecare; Rwanda has proven it can be successfully addressed; other nations can as well with leadership, focus, partnership and execution,” he said.