Service Above Self

Sightsavers

For someone who is blind, the gift of sight is the greatest gift of all.

Sightsavers believe that sight is a basic human right, and that everyone - including those in the world's poorest countries - should have access to the treatment and eye care that they need. Their work is important because, as well as providing treatment that can help to restore sight, they also assist with the rehabilitation of those who are irreversibly blind - thereby helping them to make a better future for themselves.

Rotary has a 30 year history of raising money for Sightsavers.

Working with partners last year, they helped to:

• Treat over 23.2 million people for potentially blinding conditions
• Restore the sight to 244,909 people
• Train 5,038 primary eye care workers

So much eye care for so little cost:
- just 5p to protect someone from river blindness for a year
- just £17 for an adult cataract operation
- just £15 for a Universal Braille kit, to help visually impaired children study
- £72 for a training course enabling teachers to teach low vision pupils in an integrated classroom.

Dontions:

• £3 a month could protect 60 villagers from river blindness a month
• £5 a month could buy a lens every month which is needed to replace a cataract.
• £10 a month could relieve 2 people a month who are suffering from advanced trachoma.
• £17 a month could restore sight to a cataract sufferer each month.
• £20 a month could help run an outreach clinic, bringing urgent eyecare to rural villages.

For further information see www.sightsavers.org