A single act of generosity towards a young Fijian bee and watermelon farmer with a passion for helping his community has had an amazing flowon effect, leading to the first overseas aid mission by Optical Dispensers Australia (ODA) in July.
The story starts in 2019, when Sylvester Prasad was working as a technician and receptionist in a local eye clinic.
“I was doing voluntary work for them and also looking after my farm.
“Something caught my attention about the need for eye checks for the people of Fiji,” Mr Prasad told mivision, “and I realised a lot more could be done than just doing a little bit of reception work.”
He started his own private optical dispensing studies but was coming up against barriers, due to his lack of formal training.
Unbeknown to Mr Prasad, a person he’d never met, prominent New South Wales optometrist Mark Hansen, from Hansen’s Eyecare Plus Orange, was already trying to organise sponsorship to help him receive his formal qualifications.
“A friend asked me to find a way for this to happen, so I rang James [Australasian College of Optical Dispensing (ACOD) Director James Gibbins], who was very helpful and generous getting ACOD to share sponsorship.
Mr Gibbins takes up the story: “Mark had been advised of this young man working in Lautoka Fiji, and it was suggested to Mark that if sponsorship was possible, Sylvester would make a huge difference to his workplace and in supporting village outreach… it was agreed that the sponsorship for Sylvester’s course fees would be covered, 50% by Mark Hansen and 50% by ACOD.”
Mr Prasad said he was harvesting honey when he got the call from Mr Gibbins and was “very excited”.
While most of the Certificate IV in Optical Dispensing was available online, Mr Prasad was required to travel to New Zealand for several workshops at his own expense; a requirement made more difficult by the COVID-19 pandemic and border closures.
“It was a challenge for me, everything was grounded, we couldn’t move out of our districts. It was quite a challenge.”
Mr Prasad’s commitment didn’t waiver, and he completed his Certificate IV training in March 2023.
“We were so blessed to have Sylvester, who was a very talented and passionate student,” Mr Hansen said.
A SECOND ACT OF GENEROSITY
Mr Gibbins said a separate sponsorship from Specsavers covered Mr Prasad attending his graduation ceremony, held as part of the annual Association of Dispensing Opticians of New Zealand (ADONZ) Conference.
Specsavers has had significant involvement in outreach programs in Fiji over the past decade. The company had a “special connection with Mr Prasad’s vision” and decided to sponsor his conference attendance to support his continuing professional development.
“It’s such a good news story… that’s a separate sponsorship by Specsavers, who flew him all expenses paid – flights, accommodation, attendance to the three-day conference, and his attendance at the graduation event,” Mr Gibbins said.
“In addition to Specsavers, Mark (Hansen) and an anonymous sponsor contributed half of the cost to bring his wife with him.”
For Mr Prasad, attending the graduation was “just a dream come true… when they called my name for the Certificate, I almost cried. I tried to hold my tears back, it was just an achievement that we have been waiting for.”
A THIRD ‘GOOD NEWS’ OUTCOME
With Mr Prasad now working on the ground in Fiji as a qualified optical dispenser, ODA is planning its first aid mission to Fiji.
ODA Chief Executive Officer April Petrusma said 12 people, including qualified optical dispensers and two optometrists, will make the trip to Lautoka in July this year. “
When Sylvester was a student at ACOD, we learnt about the village outreach… the project he was tackling was much bigger than his resources,” Ms Petrusma said.
“After several discussions, I identified that there was a genuine need for assistance and our ODA community has been overwhelmingly generous in offering to volunteer the time and resources to help.
“We will begin in Lautoka and will visit isolated communities and schools in Nadi, Lovu, Tavua, Ba, and Sigatoka,” she said.
“People living in isolated locations such as those in Fiji, not only struggle to access health services but many also lack education when it comes to things like eye care and glasses.
“Our dispensers will not only be providing spectacles to individuals but will be teaching the communities about basic eye conditions, how glasses can improve their everyday lives, and how to use and care for their spectacles.”
Ms Petrusma said there was a “genuine possibility” of this becoming a long-term relationship, although “the first step for us is to see and experience what the needs of the communities are, firsthand”.
BIG DREAMS BECOMING REALITY
Sylvester and Kitty Prasad
Mr Gibbins said the knock-on effects of the initial act of generosity have been simply amazing: “One phone call from Mark Hansen to me originally, has led to this… Sylvester is an outstanding, polite young man; inspirational. He did really well in the course; and now we’re building a long-term relationship with Fiji!”
As for Mr Prasad, he said he has been honoured and overwhelmed by the whole experience, expressing his deep gratitude for all those involved in both the sponsorship arrangements and the planning for the aid mission.
He said the experience has been so positive, that his wife, Kitty is now looking at enrolling in the Certificate IV in Optical Dispensing also, to join him in the village outreaches.
And feedback on the ground in Fiji from those he is already helping is only inspiring Mr Prasad further: “It just gives us a dream to serve more, do more, see more, help more…”
