Lions Clubs International received the prestigious Trachoma Gold Medal 2006 from the International Organization Against Trachoma. The award was presented in February in Sao Paulo, Brazil, at the World Ophthalmology Congress, attended by 8,000 ophthalmologists and other eye care personnel from 100 countries. Here is a shortened version of the acceptance speech of LCIF Chairperson Dr. Clement F. Kusiak.

It’s a true honor to be here representing Lions Clubs International and to be among people who share our same dedication to fighting blindness. Lions Clubs are being honored today but it’s humbling to be among so many people who bring such skill and persistence to the battle against blindness and vision impairment.

In accepting this award, I want to tell how we counter blindness, especially trachoma. I also want to drive home the point that Lions accept this award less as matter of recognition and more as a challenge. It’s not what we’ve done but what we intend to do that really counts.

The main mission of Lions is helping the blind and visually impaired. This has been our goal since 1925 when Helen Keller, who was blind and deaf and yet became world famous because of her accomplishments, challenged Lions at our annual convention to become “Knights of the Blind.” So, as you can see, when Lions get together with people concerned about blindness, something very momentous can indeed occur.

Since 1989 when Lions began the SightFirst Program, we’ve concentrated on blindness prevention including preventing trachoma. We’ve directly impacted 24 million people through SightFirst, supported five million cataract surgeries and prevented serious vision impairment for 20 million. Plus, we’ve improved eye care services for hundreds of millions. Lions take enormous pride in SightFirst.

However, I didn’t come here to recite a series of statistics or to talk about our accomplishments. I came to talk about people like Tazie Shiferaw. She lives in an Ethiopian village. She’s perhaps 50 years old, though she’s not really sure. She has seven children and many grandchildren. For a full 25 years, she suffered from trachoma,  enduring the itching and the constant pain.

As you may know, trachoma is an infectious bacterial disease that can lead to blindness. The culprit is a bacteria that can develop on a dirty, unwashed face and be spread by flies.

Trachoma is one of the most treatable forms of eye disease on our planet, but because it is linked to poverty, poor water and poor sanitation, it often is not treated. The disease usually affects some of society’s most vulnerable people such as toddlers, children and young mothers. After repeated infections, unless there is treatment, the eyelashes turn inward and rub against the cornea, leading to scarring and blindness.

Trachoma made it very difficult for Tazie to do her household chores. She tried to cook but the smoke from the fire made her pain worse.

In 2003, fortunately before it was too late, Tazie had trichiasis surgery. She can now see much better and work at home and in the fields. Her life is immeasurably better. She has said joyfully, “I live every day as if it is my birthday.”

This is why we’re all here today--to celebrate the success of stories like Tazie and to ensure there are even more success stories.

Lions are very active in the fight against trachoma. We currently have six ongoing projects that we’ve funded with $10 million. We’re countering blindness from trachoma in various ways. We provide financial support to the Carter Center in their efforts. Additionally, Lions in Africa travel from village to village teaching the SAFE strategy—Surgery, Antibiotics, Face Washing and Environmental Change. Lions are educating people about how to save their vision. Few villagers know that the flies are a breeding ground for bacteria or that surgery is an option. Surgeries funded by SightFirst are performed free of charge.

Lions and their partners distribute the medication that prevents trachoma and also urge villagers to build latrines. Thanks to Lions and others, nearly 90,000 were built in Ethiopia in 2004 alone. Our goal, which we believed was realistic, was 10,130. So you can see that Lions are doing quite well in preventing the spread of trachoma.

All these efforts have produced results. Worldwide, the number of children and adults infected from trachoma has dropped from 150 million to 80 million, and Lions have helped make that progress possible.

Lions have several advantages in the fight against trachoma. We provide a “volunteer army” of Lions. Lions also are successful because they are often community leaders or have access to health, business and government leaders. We also forge partnerships with governments and non-profits. So Lions are able to effectively leverage our most precious resource—the dedication and commitment of Lions to provide service.

As you know, trachoma has been blinding people at least since the time of the ancient pharaohs. Despite the progress against trachoma, it won’t be easy to stamp out this gruesome disease, but we won’t stop trying. That’s why Lions are in the midst of Campaign SightFirst II. We plan to raise at least US$150 million and perhaps as much as US$200 million to continue and expand the work of SightFirst.

One of the goals of Campaign SightFirst II is to build upon the success of our trachoma control efforts to substantially reduce the incidence of trachoma. Lions plan to expand our trachoma control activities from five nations to 15 by 2010 and increase the population served from two million to 30 to 40 million.

Working with government health ministries and several leading NGOs, Lions and SightFirst aim to eliminate trachoma by 2020 as a blinding eye disease in the 10 most endemic countries, where 80 percent of the disease exists.

Also, Lions and SightFirst will eliminate the backlog of patients needing trichiasis surgery by supporting 40,000 surgeries annually in countries with backlogs, compared to the 6,000 we now do annually.

In sum, by 2020, Lions’ expected contributions to combat trachoma will equal from one-fourth to one-third of the overall funding throughout the world, placing Lions at the lead of the international effort.

Receiving the Trachoma Gold Medal is a great honor. But Lions consider it a challenge to redouble our efforts, to do everything we can do ensure that trachoma no longer blinds children and adults. The children of Tazie Shiferaw and their children’s children are counting on all of us.

I pledge today that Lions will continue to honor the call of Helen Keller. We also will live up to today’s honor by battling trachoma day after day, year after year, until we’ve succeeded in vanquishing this terrible disease.