Our history

It was in 1988 that Dr. Nancy Herbster, an American optometrist, and Mr. Emmanuel Agenong’a, a Congolese refractionist, started an eye clinic in Goma. At that time Goma had a population of 150,000 and there were no eye care services available.

In 1991 Optigo, as the organization was then called, moved into their own building. It was located close to the airport of Goma. In 1996 a new branch was established in Bukavu, and in 1997 the third branch in Bunia.

In 2001 Optigo moved the eye care clinic to the centre of Goma town, while the main office and store remained in its former location close to the airport. In 2002 Goma was shaken by an eruption of the volcano Nyaragongo. A flow of lava covered a big part of Goma, burning everything it found on its way. Optigo’s main office, the store and the staff living quarters disappeared under the lava. Thankfully, within a couple weeks of this disaster, the team was able to continue to provide optometric services again with the equipment and stock saved.

Through self-financing and individual financial gifts, the team has managed to buy a new plot and is constructing a new building in the centre of Goma. The process of starting a non-profit organization began in 2006 when AIDE-VISION’s statutes were written. The non-profit status was acquired in the same year. Late 2010 the organization finished the juridical procedures and opened the clinic ‘AIDE-VISION, asbl’ in January 2011