As many of you will have seen across our Flightworx social media, we have thrown our support behind blindness prevention charity Orbis UK, to help raise awareness for their See My Future appeal. For three months, until 23rd June, all public donations to the appeal will be doubled by the UK government.
In many parts of the world, avoidable sight loss means children are dropping out of school. Issues such as refractive error, cataract and strabismus (severe squint) can all impede a child’s ability to see the blackboard, their text books and their teachers. In some cases, children are dropping out of school to care for an adult with sight-loss.
See My Future aims to raise £850,000 and the UK government will match every pound, up to £2 million, which will help save the sight of thousands of children and adults around the world.
All of the money matched by the UK government will go directly towards expanding Orbis’s project in Nepal which screens and treats children with sight loss, enabling them to attend school and face a brighter future. All individual donations will support the charity’s vital sight saving work across the world, wherever it is needed most.
The aviation industry and Orbis have a long standing connection via the charity’s unique Flying Eye Hospital, a state of-the-art ophthalmic teaching hospital on board a customised MD-10 aircraft. It is a fully-integrated training facility, with an operating theatre, recovery room, and audio-visual equipment that transmits live surgeries to a 46-seat classroom at the front of the plane. Every year, the Flying Eye Hospital visits countries around the world, partnering with local hospitals to deliver specialist training through the charity’s expert medical volunteers.
“We are humbled to support this great charity which enables children with sight loss to have the right to an education. Using their state-of-the-art aircraft, they can take the operating theatre and training cabin to where it is needed.”
Jennette Bentley, Flightworx General Manager
“With a simple eye exam and a pair of glasses, a child’s life can be transformed. Clear sight opens up a future of possibilities – children can return to school, play with their friends and contribute to society, breaking the cycle of poverty. With the UK government’s Aid Match scheme, our See My Future appeal really will have twice the impact – just £5.50 doubled to £11 could provide two new pairs of glasses for children struggling to see in school.
We would like to thank Flightworx for their support. Our industries have collaborated for almost 40 years and what we have achieved since 1981, really does show how working together can make a real difference. By getting behind the See My Future Appeal, we can raise much needed awareness and funds to provide people across the world with the eye care they deserve.
Rebecca Cronin, Orbis UK CEO
As a company, we are asking you to consider donating to Orbis before 23rdJune and supporting their See my Future appeal. All of the money matched by the UK government will go directly towards expanding Orbis’s project in Nepal which screens and treats children with sight loss, enabling them to attend school and face a brighter future. All individual donations will support the charity’s vital sight saving work across the world, wherever it is needed most. I urge you to donate what you can to this amazing charity and see your impact doubled through the See My Future appeal. To support the charity visit: www.orbis.org.uk/en/
About UK Aid Match
- UK Aid Match is designed to provide opportunities for the UK public to engage with international development issues and have a say in how UK aid is spent, whilst boosting the impact of the very best civil society projects to reach the poorest people in developing countries. For every £1 donated to a UK Aid Match charity appeal, the government will also contribute £1 of UK aid, to help these projects go further in changing and saving lives.
