GIFT OF SIGHT APPEAL
Organised by Humanity First UKHumanity First UK runs eye screening and cataract camps in Gambia, Uganda and other African and Asian countries.
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Donate today to give someone the Gift of Sight!
Humanity First UK has been working to improve health outcomes across the world including The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Uganda and Kenya. Cataract is the largest cause of reversible blindness worldwide . Refractive error is the medical term for poor sight due to needing spectacles and this is the biggest cause of reversible sight loss in children. Overall 9 out of 10 vision impaired people live in low and middle income countries .
- Approx. 80% of what a child learns is processed through the visual system
- 63% of vision problems in the 0-14 age group are fixable with an eye exam and a pair of glasses
- For everyone children in high income countries there are 10 in low income countries which are blind
- Approximately 3/4 of blindness in children is avoidable- either treatable or preventable
Humanity First UK, Gift of Sight programme aims to:
- Build infrastructure in partner countries this includes:
Providing awards to medical students who would like to undertake ophthalmology
Sponsor the doctors to take of ophthalmology specialist exams
Sponsoring doctors in training their annual fees
- Provision of eye care
Pay for cataract surgery
Pay for spectacles for children
Both of these will be helped by the provision of the 2 new mobile eye units.
Our volunteer teams on the ground in these countries carry out key health interventions to tackle blindness and visual impairment across Africa. Our local teams with in-depth knowledge of the local needs, language and unique circumstances they are able to tailor programmes for maximum benefit.
Local clinicians as well as our strong team of NHS clinicians have worked in countries such as The Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Uganda, Guinea Conakry and Ivory Coast to not only provide sustainable training for local clinicians but have helped in carrying out essential surgery to restore sight in rural hard to reach parts of Africa.
Our new mobile eye clinic is due to arrive in The Gambia where in collaboration with the health authorities will serve to tackle blindness in the most impoverished societies. With your help we can carry on this vital work.