A launch ceremony was held yesterday for Orbis’ annual “Action for Sight” at the Sheng Kung Hui Taipa Youth and Family Integrated Service Centre, with the campaign, themed “Let the World be Seen”, featuring advocacy and fundraising events until December 11.
The non-governmental organisation’s (NGO) two-month long campaign is held alongside World Sight Day, which is designated on the second Thursday of October.
The theme, according to a statement provided at the event, carries an important message to “advocate to the public to #Love Your Eyes” throughout the campaign’s promotional events, including a ‘Know Your Eye Health’ online quiz to create greater awareness of one’s eye health, and promoting annual eye examinations to maintain the long-term wellness of one’s eyes and vision. The survey can be found at https://www.orbis.org/mo-eyesurvey until November 30.
In her speech, Orbis Macau Director of Development Isabel da Silva encouraged members of the public to participate in the campaign and its advocacy programmes to learn more about eye health and care.
She also encouraged them to join the concerted effort to support the NGO’s ongoing commitment to build a legacy of quality eye care in low- and middle-income countries and help raise vital funds for the series sight-saving programmes and sustainable training to empower more eye health teams to have the means and knowhow to combat preventable blindness in the long-run.
“What we’ve been able to achieve over the past forty years, the lives we have been able to transform through our sight-saving programmes, and the lasting impact we are making in preventing and treating avoidable blindness through our sustainable training, and more importantly, our ongoing work and effort towards a future where quality eye care is accessible to all and no one will have to live with preventable vision loss, are all made possible by the generosity of our donors and partners, and the dedication of our volunteer faculty and team”, da Silva pointed out.
Da Silva said she hoped that members of the public will continue to support Orbis regardless of the amount as it “all adds up to fuel our sight-saving effort”.
Donations can be made in person, online on https://orbismacau.shoppoint.mo/en or by contacting Orbis Macau. Those donating 100 patacas or above can receive one of three randomly selected badges for the campaign.
The launch ceremony also had a free eye screening activity, while an optometer was used to assess refractive errors such as astigmatism and farsightedness, as well as a service to check one’s eyeglass prescription.
One can visit https://www.orbis.orf/mo-afs-en for information, and follow Orbis’ social media pages for the latest advocacy and fundraising event updates.
A woman takes part in a free eye screening during yesterday’s launch ceremony of Orbis’ “Action for Sight” campaign at the Sheng Kung Hui Taipa Youth and Family Integrated Service Centre. – Photo: Rui Pastorin
