NINE-YEAR-OLD Difasi has been blind all his life but is being denied his greatest wish – to go to school – because of the poverty of his family in Uganda.
Mwanaisha, six, is luckier. She lives in Malawi and lost her sight at the age of two after contracting measles. She does attend school and enjoys learning English.
Mala, a 15-year-old Bangladeshi girl, had struggled with her eyesight for five year
s before cataracts were diagnosed. A simple operation restored much of her sight and she is able to take care of herself again.
Three children in three different countries, but all with similar problems that can be helped through the work of British charity Sightsavers International.
Next week, more than 2,000 primary schools in Scotland will receive free Seeing Our World information packs – in an initiative supported by Scotland on Sunday – to help put childhood blindness on the curriculum.
Jo Mitchell, Sightsavers’ schools development manager, said: “Children are always astonished when they learn that 75% of blindness in the world is preventable, and we hope that the pack will go a long way to raising awareness of how poverty and disability in the developing world are often intrinsically linked.”
The packs have been tailored to fit the Scottish curriculum and in particular citizenship education. They are being sent out to arrive in schools from August 25 to educate children through real-life stories and eight inspirational activities.
“Using this resource can support the study of various subjects including English, social studies, science and the citizenship requirements of the Scottish curriculum’s Education for Excellence,” Mitchell said. “It is also a perfect resource to use on or around World Sight Day – Thursday, October 9.”
Scotland on Sunday editor Les Snowdon said: “We have supported Sightsavers for a number of years now, as we believe that their work to prevent blindness, restore sight and campaign for equal rights for people who are blind and visually impaired in the developing world really can make a difference to the lives of millions.
“The Seeing Our World pack offers a great opportunity to get children in Scotland thinking in fun and creative ways about such important issues as global citizenship.”
One of the children featured is four-year-old Sruthika, who is blind but goes to nursery school in her home state of Tamil Nadu in India. She knows who is around her by an unusual method. “Sruthika identifies people by their steps,” says her grandmother.
Mitchell said: “Telling the pupils about Sruthika can help to illustrate that children all over the world share similar desires and aspirations, regardless of where they live and whether they are blind or sighted.”
Meanwhile, film stars Ewan McGregor and Robbie Coltrane, TV presenters Danny Wallace and Aggie MacKenzie, and author Alexander McCall Smith are among the Scots who have donated their favourite pairs of glasses to Sightsavers International for auction to highlight the plight of people who can’t see.
Around 153 million people in the world, mainly in developing countries, are blind simply because they have no glasses.
They will be auctioned online on eBay until next Sunday. The lots can be viewed and bid for at
www.sightsavers.org/ebay. All glasses start from just £15, the equivalent of 10 pairs of glasses in the developing world.
