A visionary scheme is transforming the lives of millions across the developing world Ben Farmer Africa Correspondent Ben Farmer is Africa Correspondent for The Telegraph and its Global Health Security team and is based in South Africa. He has worked at The Telegraph for nearly 20 years, including five years in Kabul covering the Afghanistan war, five as Defence Correspondent in London, and four years in Islamabad. See more Published 21 May 2026 6:00am BST Rev Robert Mayambala Tendo’s duty in his church in Uganda is to ensure his flock can see the light of God. But for the last couple of years, he has also checked if they can clearly see their Bibles, their phones and their work. Armed with eye charts and cut-price spectacles, the vicar is at the sharp end of a massive scheme to improve the eyesight of millions of people. The gift of affordable glasses for near vision can transform the social lives or livelihoods of those with failing eyesight, he told the Telegraph.…