Empowering Vision: New Directions in SightFirst Program by Lions Clubs International Foundation

1. New Directions in the SightFirst Program, Lions Clubs International FoundationLinda Romano-Derr Regional Program Specialist, South Asia September 17, 2012

2. Lions Clubs International (LCI)and Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) • World’s largest voluntary service organization • 1.35 million members worldwide, in 46,000 clubs in 207 countries • Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) • Humanitarian arm of LCI • Established in 1968 • Primary service aims: • Humanitarian Services • Blindness prevention • Disaster relief and reconstruction • Children’s health and welfare

3. SightFirst • SightFirst is a global initiative with the purpose of eliminating avoidable blindness as a global public health concern • Mission: To build comprehensive eye care systems to fight the major causes of blindness and care for people who are blind or visually impaired • SightFirst builds on Lions’ historical concern for the blind and visually impaired (Knights of the Blind) • 1,064 grants in 102 countries for a total of US$277 million since 1990

4. SightFirst Accomplishments • Restored sight to 7.68 million people through cataract surgeries • 30 million people saved from vision loss • Provided 147 million treatments for river blindness • Built or upgraded 702 eye-care facilities • Trained 659,000 ophthalmologists, ophthalmic nurses, other professional eye care workers and village health workers • Established 35 pediatric eye care centers, impacting the lives of 121 million children (in partnership with the WHO)

5. SightFirst Approach • Controlling blinding diseases • Cataract • River blindness, • Trachoma • Diabetic retinopathy • Training desperately needed human resources • Strengthening eye care infrastructure

6. SightFirst II: A new direction • 3 overarching goals: • Control and eliminate major causes of avoidable blindness • Combat emerging threats to sight • Provide “Vision for All” through research, rehabilitation, and outreach to vulnerable populations VISION FOR ALL

7. SightFirst I versus SightFirst II • SF I: • Less complex projects, with one or two activities • Local situation considered in the development of a project, but little knowledge of the eye care priorities of the country or region • Often weak engagement of the Ministry of Health and the national plan for the prevention of blindness • Little collaboration with other partners working in blindness prevention • SF II: • Large-scale projects reaching a larger target population • Complex and comprehensive projects that include aspects of both prevention and treatment • A well-developed support system in place at the district and regional levels to teach and aid clubs in the development of projects • Projects consistently developed in partnership with the MOH and within the framework of the national plan; extensive and successful partnerships with many of the leading blindness prevention experts worldwide We Care. We Serve. We Accomplish.

8. Key Principles Develop comprehensive eye care systems Target underserved populations Deliver high-quality eye care services Create sustainable eye care services Use data to identify and evaluate efforts Hands-on Lions involvement Emphasis on strategic partnerships with corporations, governments and NGOs.

9. SightFirst Grants: 11 strategies & 5 objectives • Cataract • Childhood Blindness • Trachoma • Education & Rehabilitation for Blind & Low vision Persons • Eye Health Education • Low Vision • URE • Comprehensive Regional Training • Diabetic Retinopathy • River Blindness • Research SightFirst portfolio We Care. We Serve. We Accomplish.

10. SightFirst Grants: 11 strategies & 5 objectives • Cataract • Childhood Blindness • Trachoma • Education & Rehabilitation for Blind & Low vision Persons • Eye Health Education • Low Vision • URE • Comprehensive Regional Training • Diabetic Retinopathy • River Blindness • Research • Service Delivery • Human Resource Development • Infrastructure Development • Prevention • Monitoring & Evaluation Objectives We Care. We Serve. We Accomplish.

11. SightFirst Grants: 11 strategies & 5 objectives • Cataract • Childhood Blindness • Trachoma • Education & Rehabilitation for Blind & Low vision Persons • Eye Health Education • Low Vision • URE • Comprehensive Regional Training • Diabetic Retinopathy • River Blindness • Research • Service Delivery • Detection • Treatment • Rehabilitation • Survey • Human Resource • Development • Eye Care Professionals • Community Health Workers • School Teachers • Infrastructure Development • Equipment • Expansion • Prevention • Advocacy • Public Relations • Education Materials • Monitoring & Evaluation We Care. We Serve. We Accomplish.

12. Getting involved in into new focus areas: • Research • Education and training for blind/VI • Outreach to vulnerable populations*

13. www.lcif.org THANK YOU