Arguably the most important advocacy and communications event in the eye health calendar, World Sight Day provides an opportunity to raise awareness of the issue of avoidable blindness, share success stories, celebrate partnerships and call for further action. The theme for 2018 is ‘Eye Care Everywhere’ – ensuring that everyone, everywhere has access to good eye health.
World Sight Day - #WhyICare
Thursday 11th October is World Sight Day and we're taking the opportunity to ask our supporters and partners to tell us why they care about eye care - #WhyICare.
At Orbis we are only able to save sight and transform lives because of the vital support we receive from our partners, donors and volunteers. This World Sight Day, our Flying Eye Hospital is in Ethiopia celebrating 20 years of fighting blindness. We'll be working alongside our partners - the Federal Ministry of Health and the Ophthalmological Society of Ethiopia - to conduct a three-week training programme. UK volunteers will be working with local medical professionals to improve skills and pass on knowledge, ensuring that more people in Ethiopia receive the eye care they need.
Our incredible volunteers like George Appasamy (below) make Orbis's work possible through their dedication and generously donating their time. We've been asking why eye care is so important to them:
But enough about us… we want to hear from YOU! We want you to share your stories about what eye care means to you on our Twitter and Facebook, using the hashtag #WhyICare and letting us know why eye care is so important.
So keep an eye on our social media to hear from our staff, partners and volunteers about why fighting blindness means so much to them. And of course, don't forget to join in yourself by either commenting on the posts or creating your own.