Dear parents
Next week, as part of Catholic Schools Week, we will be holding a Cool Shades Day on Friday 27th January. Children may come to school in their own clothes (wearing sunglasses or glasses if they have any already at home) with a small donation to help the Khmer Sight Foundation in Cambodia.
Roseleen McCann, who is aunt to our pupils Daniel Pain and Noah, will be travelling to Cambodia in February as a volunteer to help provide sight-saving eye care to the people of the region. The money you donate will make a real difference to the Cambodian people by giving them the gift of vision. We feel this is an excellent cause and have included information provided by Rosaleen.
In 2019 I travelled to Cambodia with a team of Ophthalmologists, Optometrists, Nurses and volunteers from Northern Ireland to provide sight saving eye care including cataracts and numerous other sight saving operations. This experience was one of the most humbling experiences of my life and the difference we made to the Cambodian people was life changing.
Cambodia has a population of approximately 17 million people. Almost three quarters of the population live on less than $3 (£2.50) a day. Over 180,000 Cambodians are blind and 90% of blindness is avoidable. Three-quarters of blindness is due to cataracts. Cambodia has very few ophthalmologists to help its people.
The Khmer Sight Foundation (KSF) is a non-profit non-governmental organisation whose mission is to eliminate avoidable blindness in Cambodia and provide expert clinical training. It was founded in 2015 and has since developed strong relationships with International teams from the UK, France, Germany, Singapore and India who visit Cambodia to undertake weeklong missions.
On the 6th of February this year I will return to Cambodia with the Northern Irish team to once again provide another week long mission.
This mission is self-funded and as one of the volunteers I will give my own time to help the people of Cambodia. I am seeking support to help provide spectacle glasses and other much needed essential items, as well as help fund my flights and accommodation while providing sight-saving operations.
