Charities

Khmer Sight Foundation’s vision is to train the next generation of eye care health professionals in Cambodia, so that the country can become self-reliant in the provision of high quality, safe and effective eye care.

The mission is to eliminate avoidable blindness in Cambodia and provide expert clinical training, recognised by overseas professional bodies, for all eye care health professionals.

Mike Tappin and Rakesh Jayaswal travelled to Cambodia in 2017 to support the charity and treat patients who were unable to afford surgery. They plan to revisit in late 2018 to continue supporting this project.

Current Situation in Cambodia

• Over 180,000 Cambodians are blind.
• 10,000 Cambodians suffer avoidable blindness each year.
• 90% of blindness is avoidable. 79% is curable and 11% is preventable.
• Three-quarters of blindness is due to cataracts, and the rest is due to uncorrected vision, glaucoma, corneal scarring and pterygium.
• Cambodia has one of the lowest number of eye specialist doctors per capita in the world.
• 10 percent of the population lives below the poverty line; over 40% of Cambodians earn $2 per day.
• Most of the poor live in rural areas where there is either no or limited access to eye care.

For donations to this project, please contact the Khmer Sight Foundation page.

Sightsavers’ vision is of a world where no one is blind from avoidable causes and where people with disabilities participate equally in society.

Their mission is to

• prevent avoidable blindness in some of the poorest parts of the world by diagnosing and treating conditions such as cataracts. They are also fighting to eliminate debilitating neglected tropical diseases such as trachoma and river blindness.
• promote equal opportunities for people with disabilities so everyone has the chance to learn, earn and be happy. They provide vocational training, help children with disabilities to go to school, and campaign to raise awareness of disability rights.
• work with governments around the world to tackle problems at the root of avoidable blindness, such as access to clean water and education. They work alongside local communities make changes for the long term, to support people who need it most.

To support and donate to Sightsavers International, please click here to donate.

Every child deserves the chance to go to school and learn.

In 2008, Tom Dannatt travelled out to Sierra Leone, then the poorest country in the world. Whilst there, he witnessed unimaginable poverty. Children as young as five were living, working or surviving on the streets; they were alone, out of school and without hope for the future. He was inspired to act.

So, Street Child was born.

The plan: to find one hundred street-connected children and help them back into a family and back to school.

Just nine years later, Street Child have helped over 100,000 children to go to school and supported over 15,000 families to set up businesses across five countries.

The 2018 West Africa Cycle Challenge will take cyclists on a cross-country cycling adventure: 300km from bustling Bo in Sierra Leone through lush green landscapes and local communities to one of Liberia’s most beautiful beaches, Robertsport.  This seven day cycling adventure will give you an opportunity to meet and draw inspiration from the very children and families you’ve been raising funds for… and discover off-the-beaten track West Africa.

To support this charity and sponsor this bike ride, please click the link to donate.