Giving Tuesday – Your Rand, Their Sight

A R9,400 test stands between families and answers about their child’s sight

Retina South Africa takes part in Giving Tuesday for the first time on 1 December, with three families sharing what a diagnosis, or the wait for one, really looks like.

 

Paarl, South Africa: When Roelof was three months old, his mother noticed that his eyes kept moving toward the light. He was not following objects. He was not making eye contact. Months of stressful, expensive tests followed, and none answered the question every parent in her position asks: What is wrong with my child’s sight?

 

It was a genetic test that finally did. For many South African families, that test costs R9,400 and is out of reach.

 

On Tuesday 1 December 2026, Retina South Africa will take part in Giving Tuesday for the first time. Under the theme “Your Rand, Their Sight”, it is asking the public to help more families get the answers and the support they are waiting for.

“You can’t put your finger on it, but you know something is up,” says Hané, Roelof’s mother.

Three families, three ages, one question

Inherited retinal conditions do not belong to one age group. Retina South Africa is sharing three stories to show that.

  • A baby. Roelof’s family got their answer through a genetic test, and it opened the right doors for him.
  • A child. Ten-year-old Gabriella lost 60% of her central vision in six months, after a routine school eye test led only to an entry-level pair of glasses. A teacher noticed she could not see the board. Her father, Belgie, says the family spent heavily on specialists and genetic testing to get an answer. “Rather test it,” he tells other parents. “We could have picked it up earlier.”
  • An adult. Vuyo, a mother of two, had good vision all through school and university. A routine medical for a new job led to a Stargardt disease diagnosis in 2024, and she was sent away with advice to protect her eyes. “I was devastated,” she says. What changed things was support from Retina South Africa’s peer counsellors, social worker and CEO. “Find your people. Find community.”

 

“Every family we meet is asking the same question about their child’s sight, and for too many of them the answer is out of reach because of the cost of a test. Giving Tuesday is our chance to change that, and every rand brings a family closer to an answer,” said Mariza Jurgens, Vice Chairperson of Retina South Africa.

How the public can help

  • R600 pays for one genetic test kit.
  • R1,200 pays for two kits, so two families can take the first step.
  • R9,400 pays for one complete genetic test: the kit, shipping and DNA extraction, and sequencing.
  • Any amount helps.

 

Gifts can be made at Giving Tuesday. Retina South Africa will share the three stories on its blog from 27 October, and on its Facebook and Instagram pages, with #YourRandTheirSight and #GivingTuesday.

 

Media contact: Primrose Gura, Planned Giving Officer, Retina South Africa, giving@retinasa.org.za

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