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TwoBillionEyes – Last mile distribution of eye care services to BoP customers
- Thomas
- Kenya
- February 1, 2026
Situation
Worldwide, one billion people live with preventable vision impairment, the majority in low-income countries. The TWOBILLIONEYES Foundation developed rapid eye-testing and eyeglass assembly kits, enabling low-cost, customised glasses in under 30 minutes. When Maersk explored a pilot for its truck drivers in Mombasa, a scalable, community-based service model was needed.
Assignment
Proportion was tasked with designing a youth-agent model for Kenya, including service design and business modelling, to deliver high-quality vision testing for professional drivers while creating livelihood opportunities for unemployed youth.
Approach
Work began with sector desk research, stakeholder mapping and problem reframing. Empathy research involved interviews with Maersk management, truck drivers, youth candidates, logistics firms and government officials. Co-design sessions produced an end-to-end service journey, soft-skills training and a viable business model. A pilot followed: onboarding and training youth as agents, a driver outreach campaign and hands-on vision testing for 550 drivers. Iterative optimisation informed a scalable B2B model for the transport sector.
Result
Eight unemployed youth became fully trained Vision Vijana agents, confidently delivering high-quality services rated 8.6/10 by drivers. More than 550 drivers received testing and corrective glasses where needed. The B2B approach proved commercially viable, securing follow-up clients such as Mars Logistics and informing an investment-ready business plan for TWOBILLIONEYES.