LIONS IN ACTION
Giving an Iraqi Girl the Gift of Sight
SightFirst is Lions' most ambitious and most successful initiative ever. Thanks to SightFirst, Lions have restored sight to 7.6 million people through cataract surgeries, prevented serious vision loss for 30 million people and improved eye care services for hundreds of millions.
SightFirst was launched by Lions in 1989 to battle preventable blindness. Sadly, 80 percent of the world's blind were needlessly without sight. Through SightFirst, Lions have prevented blindness by supporting cataract surgeries, helping expand eye hospitals and clinics, educating the public, distributing sight-saving medication, training eye care professionals and establishing sustainable eye care systems in underserved areas.
SightFirst has not only been stunningly effective but also startlingly efficient. On average, about every US$6 in donations has resulted in a person with vision restored or saved from blindness. In the 1990s, Campaign SightFirst raised US$143 million. With the successful conclusion the three-year Campaign SightFirst II in July 2008, Lions will expand current SightFirst programs and launch new initiatives through the more than US$200 million raised.
60,000
The number of people near Capetown, South Africa who receive food collected and distributed by local Lions. Lions provide food to more than 65 soup kitchens and nearly 400 community organizations 363 days a year.