ABOUT US
OUR MISSION & VISION
About the Eiohn Hayes Eyecare Outreach Program
The Eiohn Hayes Eyecare Outreach Program was established with the aim of making quality eye care accessible to everyone in and around Makhanda (estimated population of approximately 100, 000 people). Low-income families in the Makhanda area struggle to access the quality eye care they need as there are no public eye care facilities within a reasonable distance.
Patients from this area waiting for cataract surgery cannot afford to travel to access treatment in the nearest large city, Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth). Following Covid, this number is rising rapidly beyond the capacity of provincial services.
Our Vision
To reduce the prevalence of poor vision and blindness by providing eyecare and surgery to communities who cannot afford medical care.
Our Mission
To directly impact up to, at least 160 people needing eye care per year, indirectly benefiting a further 1, 600 household members in and around Makhanda.
HISTORY
Dr Trevor Davies & Dr Jinjong Chung launched Eiohn Hayes Eyecare Outreach Program in honor of former business partner, close friend, and philanthropist Eiohn Hayes who passed away in 2020 from Cancer. Eiohn and Trevor studied together, which saw them build a friendship which later became a business partnership when the two started an Optometry Practice in Port Elizabeth, which they ran together for 8 years before Eiohn and his wife Lynda, who is also an Optometrist, moved to the UK.
Eiohn had a deep respect for people, treating every single person with love, kindness, and respect. While in Port Elizabeth, he often volunteered at Livingstone Hospital and worked closely with disadvantaged communities. He started an eye clinic in Peddie and brought quality eye care to those who needed it, regardless of whether they could afford it or not. He enjoyed working with babies, even implanting glass eyes and was fluent in isiXhoza, which was a great advantage with his patients.
(Left to right: Dr Eiohn Hayes and Dr Trevor Davies)
When he moved to the UK, Eiohn continued to help the community. He started doing domiciliary work with patients who had disabilities, including learning disabilities. He also worked in palliative care. “He became well known amongst patients for his thorough testing, empathetic approach and charm”, described Lynda Hayes. In the UK he was a member of the local Optometrist Committee and helped with NHS negotiating and local optometric concerns and was well liked by his patients and colleagues. Eiohn sadly passed away in 2020 at the age of 54, after being diagnosed with Cancer in 2019.
Dr Trevor Davies continues to run an eye clinic from his Makhanda Optometric practice which he started in 1990. The clinic aims to bring affordable eye care to community members who cannot afford private health care and help hundreds of people to see every year. Dr Trevor Davies, Dr Jinjong Chung and Eiohn’s widow, Lynda Hayes decided to start a fund-raising arm in honor of Eiohn to help make eye care even more accessible to those who cannot afford to pay, and this initiative saw to the launch of the Eiohn Hayes Eyecare Outreach Program in October 2022.
MEMBERS
Eiohn Hayes Eyecare Outreach Program is operated under a partnership between the Integrated Community Development Programme Trust (ICDP Trust) and Dr Davies Optometrists Inc.
Meet our founders:
Dr Trevor Davies
Dr Jinjong Chung
Lynda Hayes
Sbusi Mashaya
