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Our Goal: The aim of this project is to support efforts to tackle avoidable blindness and visual impairment in both Ghana, by developing eye care services at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, and throughout West Africa, by providing surgical training for eye care personnel locally.
Following the successful completion of the fundraising campaign for the Richard Desmond Children’s Eye Centre, the hospital decided as a member of the UK arm of VISION 2020 that supporting this global joint initiative of the World Health Organisation and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness to eliminate avoidable blindness, should be among its future fundraising priorities.
Increasing the numbers of adequately trained eye-care personnel is integral to tackling this problem. Reflecting the teaching and training aspect of its mission statement, the hospital, in partnership with the Lions Clubs International, has established the Moorfields Lions Korle Bu Trust (Charity No. 1130230) with the aim of creating a purpose-built eye unit and training facility at Ghana’s largest teaching hospital and primary tertiary referral centre. When completed, the centre will provide a resource for the treatment of all eye disease, while enabling eye specialists from across West Africa to be trained in safe and high volume surgery to help eliminate cataract blindness and deliver sight saving treatments for glaucoma and trachoma, in addition to many other eye diseases. As such it provides the means to raise the standard of eye care significantly, while increasing the number of adults and children treated for eye disease. Offering training locally, also avoids the need for expensive travel, improving staff retention in the area.
Work on the site at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital is now underway, as part of the enabling works programme. This work includes demolishing existing derelict buildings and levelling the site, as well as a significant utilities package to cap and relocate existing mains water supplies and drains, relocation of a septic tank, partial relocation of an overhead power cable and the construction of a concrete retaining wall. The main construction is to commence in January 2012.
To date, nearly 95% of the £3m target has now been committed, largely from just a handful of donors. If you would like to support our efforts to help tackle avoidable blindness across West Africa, you can make a donation online at www.justgiving.com/moorfieldslions or by post to Moorfields Charities Office, 162 City Road, London EC1V 2PD (cheques should be made to: Moorfields Lions Korle Bu Trust). For further information or a copy of the update newsletter, please call on 020 7566 2565.
