EVERY MINUTE A CHILD GOES BLIND IN THE WORLD.

JOIN OUR BATTLE
AGAINST BLINDNESS.

BREAKING THE VICIOUS CIRCLE

In developing countries, blindness has an impact on the whole family. A blind person cannot participate in everyday life or contribute to the family’s income. Often children or grandchildren have to take care of their blind parent or grandparent, meaning that they cannot go to school.

Disabilities are often the result of fear and superstition, a lack of information, poor hygiene and a shortage of specialized medical personnel and infrastructure

There is also a strong link between disability and poverty: a person who is poor has little or no access to health care and is therefore more prone to disabilities. That is why we talk about being “unnecessarily blind”. A person with a disability usually lives on the margins of society, has no job and is often rejected by his or her family. Moreover, barely ten percent of children with a disability attend school.

With the support of local partners, experts, donors and business partners, Light for the World has been breaking this vicious circle for more than 20 years. We improve access to health care and help people with a visual impairment to integrate into society. Together we offer them a better future.

EYE CARE|EDUCATION|PROJECTS|FIGURES

EYE CARE FOR ALL

Eye care does not only include surgeries. We believe in a global and sustainable approach to fight blindness efficiently.

We make eye care accessible on the spot. Community workers seek children and adults with a visual impairment and raise community awareness. We make quality medical equipment available to eye clinics. We provide intensive training to local medical and administratif staff, who take care of surgical treatment and medication, as well as visual therapy. All eye clinics that we support have set up an optical store, which sells manufactured onsite glasses at affordable prices.

EVERY CHILD HAS A RIGHT TO EDUCATION

In developing countries, only 10 % of children with a visual impairment go to school. Light for the World supports education programmes for blind and visually impaired children.

Our education programmes are aimed at inclusive education. Visual therapists optimalise visually impaired children’s residual sight. These children also benefit from an suitable infrastructure and adapted visual aids, such as a magnifying glass or a telescope. Blind children are given a special training for a few years to learn Braille, amongst other things.

Subsequently, we try to integrate most of these children in their neighbourhood school where they follow classes with children of the same age. Specialised teachers mentor pupils and their parents, as well as their teachers. All these measures will make their integration easier and put an end to their disability stigma.

jonge Afrikaanse leerlingen, waarvan één met albinisme

Patiënten met oogverband in Afrikaanse ziekenhuis

OUR PROJECTS

Congo:

Saint Yvonne Eye Clinic in Lubumbashi
Inclusive education programme in Lubumbashi
Nuru Institute for blind and visually impaired children in Lubumbashi
Saint Joseph Eye Clinic in Likasi
Saint Raphael Eye Clinic in Mbuji-Mayi
Mwangaza Eye Clinic in Kolwezi
Mulami Muimpe Eye Clinic in Kananga

Rwanda:

Kabgayi Eye Unit in Gitarama
Inclusive education programme
HVP Gatagara School for blind and visually impaired children in Rwamagana

Tanzania:

CCBRT Eye Unit, Comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation Tanzania in Dar es Salam
KCMC Eye Unit, Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre in Moshi
SFRH Eye Unit, Saint Francis Referral Hospital in Ifakara
SJMH Eye Unit, Saint Joseph’s Mission Hospital Peramiho in Songea
BMH Eye Unit, Benjamin Mkapa Hospital in Dodoma
MRRH Eye Unit, Morogoro Regional Referral Hospital in Morogoro
Inclusive education programme
Early detection programme