PRESS RELEASE – CASTRIES Lions Club joined with the rest of the world in observance of World Sight Day on October 11, 2018. The theme for this year 2018 is “Eye Care Everywhere”
The World Health Organization (WHO), which is the United Nations’ directing and coordinating authority for health and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) are actively involved in coordinating events and activities for World Sight Day.
Every year, World Sight Day is commemorated on the second Thursday of the month of October. The Lions Club International Foundation under the Sight First Campaign first initiated it, in the year 2000. This day is celebrated to create awareness about vision impairment, blindness and other sight related problems. Approximately 90% of blind people are living in low-income countries; 39 million of the population is blind, around 65% of visually impaired people are more than 50 years of age.
World Sight Day is an important communication and advocacy event on the eye health calendar. It focusses on bringing attention on the vision impairment and Blindness.
The main aims of World Sight Day include:
•To Raise public awareness of issues surrounding blindness and visual impairment
•To influence Governments, and in particular Health Ministers to participate in and donate funds to blindness prevention programmes.
•To educate about blindness prevention.
•To general support for Vision 2020 programmes and activities.
This event was later integrated into VISION 2020, a global initiative that the IAPB coordinates. This initiative is a joint programme between WHO and the IAPB. It involves non-government organisations and professional associations as well as eye care institutions and corporations.
The three main objectives of VISION 2020 are:
•Identify and secure the crucial resources worldwide for providing an enhanced level of treatment and prevention programmes.
•Promote the development, implementation and planning of the strategies of Vision 202 with the help of National programmes.
•Enhance the profile of the causes and solutions of avoidable blindness among the people.
Lions who were challenged by Helen Keller to be “Kings of the Blind in the crusade against blindness” are continuously advocating raising public awareness of the issues surrounding blindness.
How you can assist?
•By raising awareness by sharing information with others.
•By joining the Castries Lions and Leo Clubs in the advocacy.
•By donating and being a volunteer with the Saint Lucia Blind Welfare Association
If you are service minded and wants to give back to the community, then come join us:
If you are between age 18 and 30 – then the Leo Club of Castries is the place to be. Contact us at [email protected]
For persons age 30 and above the Castries Lions is the club for you.
We are on social media: Facebook and Instagram : Castries lions.
We can also be contacted at [email protected]