Dear Lion,
Earlier this month I
was in Bangkok, Thailand, to celebrate 10 years of Sight for
Kids, one of our most
successful partnerships. While celebrating our accomplishments, such as the
vision screening of more than 16 million children, I was also struck by the fact
that many people are still needlessly blind or visually impaired. Did you know
that 80 percent of visual impairment in the world can be avoided or cured? That
is why our Foundation provides support for preventing avoidable blindness and
restoring sight to those in need.
LCIF has been
collaborating with the Global Network for
Neglected Tropical Diseases through the Sabin
Vaccine Institute to help end suffering caused by neglected tropical diseases
(NTDs), including ones that affect sight. More than 1.4 billion people in the
world are affected by these diseases. The Global Network envisions a world where
children and families can grow in a community free of NTDs, with a goal to
eliminate or control 10 common NTDs by 2020.
Through LCIF's
SightFirst program, Lions have
already been working towards this goal by focusing on two of the most common
NTDs that affect sight: trachoma and onchocerciasis (river blindness). Through
initiatives that prevent and treat infectious diseases, like our SightFirst
programs, visual impairment around the world has been decreasing, according to
the World Health Organization.
Another area of
health where Lions' efforts are helping to make a difference is with measles.
Thanks to routine immunization and vaccination campaigns, fewer children die
each day. Though the number has declined, 380 children still die each day from
this easily preventable disease. We have the power to help them.
With less than US$1
million left to meet the US$10 million challenge grant issued by the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation, we will help vaccinate 157 million children this year
alongside our partners through the One Shot, One Life:
Lions Measles Initiative. Thank you for your
continued donations
and support of this initiative.
We are truly making an impact on the world.
Sincerely,
Wing-Kun
Tam
Chairperson, Lions
Clubs International Foundation
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