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Contact:
Melitta J. Cutright
Michelle Blomeke
630-571-5466, ext. 363
For Immediate Release
Lions Clubs International To Mark Lions World Sight Day
October 12 in West Africa
OAK BROOK, Illinois, USA, September 29, 2006 — Lions Clubs International and Lions in Mali will mark Lions World Sight Day in Bamako, Mali on October 12. In cooperation with the Give the Gift of Sight Foundation, they will screen approximately 26,000 children and adults between October 11 and October 20. This will be the first time that the major event of Lions World Sight Day will be held in West Africa.
More than 2 million people in sub-Saharan Africa are blind and the rate of blindness is 10 times that of northern countries. Major causes of blindness in Mali include cataract, trachoma and glaucoma. A large percentage of the population does not have access to vision care including eyeglasses.
Along with Lions from Mali, volunteers from the Give the Gift of Sight Foundation will provide eye exams and fit those adults who need eyeglasses with recycled eyeglasses. Children will be fitted with either recycled or new eyeglasses. The eight days of screenings will be held at the International Conference Center in Bamako. In addition to residents of Bamako, people will be bussed into the capital city from nearby villages.
Lions from Mali, with help from the Lions Clubs International Foundation, will arrange for additional care such as cataract surgery for those who need it at the African Institute for Tropical Ophthalmology (IOTA)—the premier eye hospital and training institute in West Africa. IOTA is funded by the Lions Clubs International Foundation and the Lions of Mali.
“Working together, Lions and the Give the Gift of Sight Foundation will be able to make a difference in the lives of so many people,” says Jimmy Ross, Lions Clubs International president. “For 15 years Lions have been working with the Give the Gift of Sight Foundation and its volunteers to help more than 2 million men, women and children to see better. I’m delighted that through this important cooperative effort we are going to be able to assist so many people in Mali.”
"Lions Clubs International has been an invaluable partner in our International Gift of Sight missions," said Mark Durkan, Global Operations Director for Gift of Sight and a member of the Mattapoisett Lions Club. "At Gift of Sight, we believe that clear vision is a basic right not a luxury. We are thrilled to be working with Lions clubs in Mali to provide free eyewear to people in need on Lions World Sight Day."
Lions clubs around the world will also hold local activities throughout October to educate their communities about the need to conquer blindness and preserve sight. For Lions World Sight Day in the past, local Lions clubs have screened the vision of children in Bosnia and Herzegovina; conducted cataract screenings and surgeries in Madagascar; collected used eyeglasses in the United Kingdom, USA and Australia to be recycled and distributed to those in need in developing countries; screened high-risk populations for diabetes and diabetic retinopathy in California; and scheduled programs to educate community members about the dangers of blindness and diabetes as well as what can be done to prevent vision loss in countries around the world.
Lions Clubs International is the world’s largest service club organization with 1.3 million members in 45,000 clubs in 200 countries and geographical areas around the world. Since 1917, Lions clubs have aided the blind and visually impaired and made a strong commitment to community service and serving youth throughout the world. The Give the Gift of Sight Foundation, a Luxottica Group Foundation, has provided free vision care and glasses to nearly 5 million people in need around the world since 1988.
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