International development charity Sightsavers has entered into a new partnership with People’s Postcode Lottery, becoming a promoting society and receiving over £1 million support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
The £1,073,673 will enable the organisation to transform the lives of many more people in Africa and Asia by providing vital support to Sightsavers’ eye health and education programmes.
Sightsavers’ Director of Major Giving, Mike Straney, said:
“Sightsavers is excited about this new partnership with People’s Postcode Lottery. By taking part in the lottery, players will be enabling us to reach even more people in some of the poorest parts of the world, with life-changing programmes that restore and protect their sight, and that will also enable children with disabilities to go to school.”
The support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery will help to provide essential eye health services such as cataract surgery, glasses to correct visual impairment and screening for diseases such as glaucoma. Support will go to people in some of the most fragile and most underdeveloped countries in the world such as Mozambique and Mali, where 75% of blindness is often treatable or preventable.
60 year old Suhura Cassimo from Mozambique had been entirely blind for three years due to cataracts in both eyes. She had given up her work as a farmer and was being supported by her sons. She stayed in her house and did not know if she would ever get her sight back. However, last year after hearing about a Sightsavers-supported eye health programme on the radio, she received surgery on both eyes. Suhura has been able to get back to her farming work and is happy to be useful to her community again.
People’s Postcode Lottery’s Senior Programmes Manager, Sanjay Singh said:
“We are excited to begin this new partnership with Sightsavers. This funding will aim to save sight and transform the lives of people living in some of the poorest parts of the world to access the kinds of eye care that we are so fortunate to have available here in the UK. It is estimated that there are 36 million blind people in the world with 89% of those living in developing countries. Given that 75% of blindness is avoidable we’re pleased our players can support this great charity to eliminate avoidable blindness and promote equality for people with disabilities.”
People’s Postcode Lottery is a subscription lottery that costs £10 a month and raises money for good causes across Great Britain and around the world. At least 32 per cent of the ticket price goes to charity and players have raised more than £382 million for good causes since 2005.