As our Campaign SightFirst II fundraising in MD105 reaches its crescendo, and our goal of £1.2 million is in sight, we can be doubly proud of our efforts. Why? Because we have our very own SightFirst project. As previously reported, we have joined in partnership with Moorfields Eye Hospital, and the Lions of Ghana, to build and equip a brand new Lions Eye Hospital in Korle Bu, Ghana.
In early September, I undertook an exploratory and fact-finding visit to Ghana, along with PDG Surinder (Max) Mongia, Mr Ian Murdoch (Senior Ophthalmologist at Moorfields), Mr John Pelly (Chief Executive at Moorfields), and Mr Rob Aldous (Director of Fundraising & Development at Moorfields). I was extremely moved by what I saw. The need for our assistance is plain to see, and everyone we met is truly dedicated to improving eye care for the whole of West Africa. In the region there are around 2.6 million people needlessly blind, and the achievements to date in attacking this issue is only 20% of the targets set by Vision 2020. Our efforts will treat between 60,000 and 70,000 people per year, and train many hundreds of local ophthalmologists to carry on and expand the work throughout West Africa.
During our visit we had the pleasure to meet Professor Christine Ntim-Amponsah, Dean the University of Ghana Medical School, Professor Nii Out Nartey, Chief Executive of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Steven Akafo, Head of the Korle Bu Eye Hospital, Dr Elias Sory, Director General of the Ghana Health Service, and H E Dr Nicholas Westcott, British High Commissioner. The meetings were also attended by a number of local Lions who will be involved in the project, and the business was quite revealing and assertive, with everyone expressing their appreciation for the need of this facility for Ghana and the whole of West Africa. Full support was pledged by everyone we saw.
A visit to the current facility in Korle Bu revealed the inadequate facilities and dire conditions. This confirmed our resolve to build a new state-of-the-art facility for the area. Moorfields’ CEO John Pelly came back much enthused with the whole project.He has since been able to secure advance action from Moorfields to initiate the appointment of a Project Manager and prepare further detailed designs. Our next trip to Ghana is planned for April 2009, by which time we hope to be ready to commence the building work.
So keep those contributions rolling in (via your District SightFirst II Co-ordinator), and I will keep everyone updated on progress as we go.
