02. Who are we?
OMEGA with actor and brand ambassador Daniel Craig has joined ORBIS and its Flying Eye Hospital in the fight against preventable blindness. Craig recently joined the ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital on a mission in Mongolia. “I think that it’s important to do all that we can to draw attention to the invaluable work that ORBIS is doing. By visiting them in the field and seeing their team at work, I hope we will be able to make more people aware of the issue of preventable blindness and to let them know how much of a difference they can make.”
The sub-Saharan region bears the heaviest burden of the world’s blind (23%) and the highest incidence of childhood blindness, but with appropriate, timely medical intervention, half of the cases could be prevented. ORBIS recently opened a branch in South Africa and is fully committed to tackling childhood blindness in the region, intending to develop 10 paediatric eye care centres in the next 10 years. Two clinics will open this year, one in Durban and another in Kitwe,Zambia.
Since it was founded in 1982, ORBIS has carried out programs in 88 countries to provide medical training, tools and technology for local partners to address the tragedy of avoidable blindness in their communities. As a result of ORBIS’ support, more than 12 million individuals have received medical care and more than a quarter of a million eye care professionals have been trained.
Visit www.orbis.org.za to find out how you can join the fight to save sight.