KwaZulu Natal (KZN) has learned why ‘Seeing is truly Believing’ at the launch of a project to improve the vision of one million people in the province by 2010. A USD1.28 million (approximately R9 million) sponsorship by Standard Chartered Bank to Giving Sight to Africa, KZN, was announced at the launch by the MEC for Health, Ms Neliswa Nkonyeni at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Ethekwini on World Sight Day.
The sponsorship, forming part of the global Standard Chartered Bank campaign initiative ‘Seeing is Believing’ was awarded to project partners, the International Centre for Eyecare Education (ICEE) and the Department of Health, KZN at the launch attended by MEC for Health, Ms. Nkonyeni, Mrs. Ina Cronje, MEC for Education, KZN and 5,000 invited guests and members of the community.
The ‘Giving Sight to Africa’, KZN project, aims to do exactly that – give sight to those members of our community who currently do not have access to eye care services. The program involves a comprehensive eyecare framework, which has been developed through years of extensive research and draws on ICEEs international expertise and experience. It allows individuals across the community to gain access to eye care services, such as eye screening, provision of spectacles and onward referrals for more complicated conditions, wherever they may be living in the Province. The program is an eye care model which, once it has been piloted successfully within KZN, can then be replicated in other provinces, and possibly even shared as best practice within other African countries where district health forms the cornerstone of the national health system.
Speaking at the launch, MEC for Health, Ms Nkonyeni said, “This is another great example of how public and private partnerships can deliver great benefits directly to individuals across our communities. Preventable and curable blindness, as well as vision impairment is restricting many South Africans from supporting themselves and their families, and even preventing our young children from getting an education – ‘Giving Sight to Africa’ is a model which aims to address this gap in accessing eyecare, thereby generating extensive benefits for our people and our broader communities as a whole.”
Taking part in the launch were primary health care nurses, trained in primary eye care through ICEEs ‘Giving Sight to Africa’ program. They are the very first graduates of 600 to be trained over the next two years, and will be placed in service points of the program throughout the province.
Speaking on behalf of ICEE Global Program Director and World Optometrist of the Year 2007, Professor Kovin Naidoo, said, “Giving Sight to Africa KZN is a wonderful example of a public-private partnership between Government, a Non Profit Organisation (NGO) and a corporate sponsor. It allows us each to collectively harness our capability and to then deliver a real benefit to the community. We applaud the Department of Health and we humbly thank them and our generous sponsor Standard Chartered Bank for showing the world, that ‘Seeing is Believing’.”
Attending the launch Standard Chartered Bank, Chief Executive Officer for South Africa, Chris Low said, “Standard Chartered Bank’s international ‘Seeing is Believing’ campaign allows us to give back to the communities in which we operate across the globe. The initiative is forms a key part of our commitment to making a difference in the lives of individuals, including those in South Africa. Beneficial partnerships, such as those formed with the KZN Department of Health and ICEE, allow us to achieve this goal – ultimately contributing to our international Seeing is Believing target of restoring sight to 10 million individuals by the year 2010.”
Seeing is Believing is a global community initiative established in 2003 which is driven by Standard Chartered staff who fundraise, volunteer and raise awareness of avoidable blindness issues.
The program has already raised enough money to help NGOs across the developing world restore the sight of over 1 million people. ‘Seeing is Believing’s’ latest ambition aims to raise USD 10 million by 2010 to make a difference to the lives of 10 million people across 20 countries.
ICEE – International Centre for Eyecare Education
ICEE is a global non-profit, non-governmental organization. In the last ten years ICEE has delivered sustainable eye care services, education and training programs in more than 40 countries. ICEE is focused on the elimination of avoidable blindness by developing solutions with communities in need of eye care thereby improving opportunities in education, employment and quality of life.
For more information please go to icee
Standard Chartered Bank – Seeing is Believing campaign
Seeing is Believing is a Standard Chartered initiative which works with leading eye care agencies to support projects that have an immediate impact on people’s lives and establish sustainable health care for the future. The programme supports VISION 2020 – The Right to Sight, a global collaboration bringing together the International Agency for Prevention of Blindness, the World Health Organisation and international NGOs to eliminate avoidable blindness by the year 2020.
For more information, visit website: seeingisbelieving