Bushra Rubana Afroze
When a child cannot see, they are not seen; restoring vision is not about sight alone, it is about dignity, voice, and the right to fully exist.
Bushra (17), from Bangladesh grew up wearing glasses herself, watching classmates struggle to see the board and fall behind — not because they couldn’t learn, but because they couldn’t see. Nearly 18 million children go to school every day with undiagnosed vision problems, learning only half as much as their peers. While juggling her own exams, Bushra trekked to remote villages in Bangladesh and Kenya to find kids who’d never seen an optometrist.
She founded ClearVision Foundation, building community-based “Vision Hubs” that give children lasting access to eye care, not just one-time checkups. She partnered with global leaders like EssilorLuxottica and trained local youth as community health workers, creating trusted, homegrown care while building new careers along the way.
The impact is real and visible: children who once struggled to read the board are staying in school and thriving. Parents who dismissed glasses as unnecessary now invest in their kids’ eye health. Each Vision Hub reaches 60–70 people a day, turning something as simple as clear sight into a child’s chance to learn, grow, and be seen.
Other nominees
Donate monthly
Become a donor and support our work from just €5 a month.
- You make a difference every single month
- Flexible and easy
Make a one-time donation
Support children and young people around the world with a one-time donation.
- Make an immediate impact
- Choose how you want to give
Planned recurring giving
Thanks to tax benefits, your donation can go even further.
- Make a bigger impact with the same donation
- Simple and tax-efficient