£250,000 GIFT TO RESTORE SIGHT IN LIBERIA

More than 2,000 blind people in Liberia now have the chance to see again thanks to a £250,000 grant to fund cataract surgeries on board the world’s largest charity hospital ship.

The Jack Petchey Foundation has donated the money to fund free surgeries on board the Africa Mercy, which is run by the international charity Mercy Ships.

Jack Petchey OBE, aged 82, and the Founder of the Jack Petchey Foundation, has undergone two cataract operations and is so impressed with his renewed sight he wants to help others to enjoy the same.

In the developing world, it is estimated that around 80% of blindness is preventable or treatable and the volunteer surgeons on board the Africa Mercy provide free surgeries to Liberians blinded by untreated cataracts and other eye diseases.

The very first patient ever to be treated on board the Africa Mercy was 10-year-old Lisa Moore, who was born with a congenital cataract and had been blind in one eye her whole life. After a 15 minute operation she could see perfectly and her future was transformed.

The ophthalmologist who performed Lisa’s surgery, Dr Glenn Strauss, said: “In many cases patients have been living with blindness for years. A simple 15 minute procedure not only immediately restores vision, it restores a life. That’s what I love about this work. You actually have an opportunity to impact someone for the rest of their life.”

The £250,000 donation from the Jack Petchey Foundation will also help fund the training of two local surgeons and 10 community eye care workers, as well as help fund community clinics to evaluate and treat 10,000 patients for basic eye disease.

The work is part of the Africa Mercy’s dedicated eye care programme for its outreach in Liberia in 2008, its 30th anniversary year, and builds on its history of providing free medical care, relief aid, community development and long-term sustainable development in the poorest countries in the world.

Lord McColl of Dulwich, Chairman of Mercy Ships UK, said: “This donation means we can guarantee restoring the sight of more than 2,000 Liberians this year and we would like to thank the Jack Petchey Foundation for enabling us to achieve this. Without partners like the Jack Petchey Foundation we would not be able to provide free surgeries to so many people who desperately need our help so their generosity is truly appreciated by all of us who work with the charity.”

Andrew Billington, Director of the Jack Petchey Foundation said: “This grant for cataract operations on Mercy Ships in Liberia is outside the normal work of the Jack Petchey Foundation. Jack Petchey has had his life significantly enhanced through cataract operations in November last year. Because the operations made such a difference, he wants to help others in a similar situation... what better way than through this first-rate charity.”
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