Lions Club establish Eye Centres (
THE Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the government of Ghana has established a specialist eye care centre for preventable blindness in children in the country.
Ghana is the only country that is benefiting from this project, which is to be undertaken in 30 developing countries worldwide to prevent and eradicate blindness and visual impairment in children by 2020.
The first phase of the project involved the establishment of an eye-care unit for children at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) and another eye-care centre in Koforidua, which is currently taking care of the southern sector.
An ophthalmologist and lecturer at the University of Ghana Medical School, Dr Vera A. Essuman, disclosed this during a presentation at the Joint Consultative Zone/Region meeting of the Lions Clubs in Ghana held at the weekend in Accra.
Originally, the project was to have benefited the Greater Accra Region and the Eastern Region, but the overwhelming nature of the project and the success achieved under this phase, have led to the approval of another specialist eye-care centre in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region to cater for the eye-care needs of the northern sector.
She said the causes of childhood blindness as identified at the KBTH included injuries, cortical visual impairment, refractive error, cataract and glaucoma.
Mr (Lion) Osei Asibey Poku, a representative of the LCIF in Ghana, who spoke on “Lionism - the way forward”, was happy to note that the active involvement of Lions in the project had led to the approval for another eye-care centre for the northern sector.
He stressed the need for Lions in Ghana to continue to be committed to the project and any other project they undertake.
A Deputy District Trainer of the Lions Clubs International, Lion Nana Baah Okoampa VII, who spoke on “Youth for Growth: The kind of youth to have for Development,” said the best approach to sustaining mankind was to take good care of and invest in people hence the emphasis of Lions on youth and development.
He asked the members to teach the youth the way they should conduct themselves as they grew up, so that they would not depart from it when they became adults.
Nana Okoampah said the proper training of the youth could be achieved through persistently touching on activities that touched the main fabric of mankind.
Earlier in her address, the Chairperson for Zone 161 Lions Clubs International in Ghana, Miss (Lion) Kate Baaba Hudson, stressed the need for members to endeavour to invite quality members to the clubs.
She said it was important that before members invited people to join the clubs, they explained the objectives of Lionism to them so that they did not join with certain objectives which when not achieved when they joined, often led them to leave the clubs.
She emphasised the importance of continuous education, succession plans, improved attendance to meetings and activities, as well as friendship and effective communication.
The Chairperson for Zone 162 LCI in Ghana, Miss (Lion) Helen Obeng, advised members to be committed to the principles of Lionism.
She urged the Lions not to allow modern technologies, especially text messages, to replace personal communication with one other.
The function, which was attended by about 200 Lions and Leos in Ghana, including Mr (Lion) Sam Attu, Chairman for Region 16 of Lions Clubs International, who stressed the need for members to always remember that Lionism involved service.
Ghana is the only country that is benefiting from this project, which is to be undertaken in 30 developing countries worldwide to prevent and eradicate blindness and visual impairment in children by 2020.
The first phase of the project involved the establishment of an eye-care unit for children at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) and another eye-care centre in Koforidua, which is currently taking care of the southern sector.
An ophthalmologist and lecturer at the University of Ghana Medical School, Dr Vera A. Essuman, disclosed this during a presentation at the Joint Consultative Zone/Region meeting of the Lions Clubs in Ghana held at the weekend in Accra.
Originally, the project was to have benefited the Greater Accra Region and the Eastern Region, but the overwhelming nature of the project and the success achieved under this phase, have led to the approval of another specialist eye-care centre in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region to cater for the eye-care needs of the northern sector.
She said the causes of childhood blindness as identified at the KBTH included injuries, cortical visual impairment, refractive error, cataract and glaucoma.
Mr (Lion) Osei Asibey Poku, a representative of the LCIF in Ghana, who spoke on “Lionism - the way forward”, was happy to note that the active involvement of Lions in the project had led to the approval for another eye-care centre for the northern sector.
He stressed the need for Lions in Ghana to continue to be committed to the project and any other project they undertake.
A Deputy District Trainer of the Lions Clubs International, Lion Nana Baah Okoampa VII, who spoke on “Youth for Growth: The kind of youth to have for Development,” said the best approach to sustaining mankind was to take good care of and invest in people hence the emphasis of Lions on youth and development.
He asked the members to teach the youth the way they should conduct themselves as they grew up, so that they would not depart from it when they became adults.
Nana Okoampah said the proper training of the youth could be achieved through persistently touching on activities that touched the main fabric of mankind.
Earlier in her address, the Chairperson for Zone 161 Lions Clubs International in Ghana, Miss (Lion) Kate Baaba Hudson, stressed the need for members to endeavour to invite quality members to the clubs.
She said it was important that before members invited people to join the clubs, they explained the objectives of Lionism to them so that they did not join with certain objectives which when not achieved when they joined, often led them to leave the clubs.
She emphasised the importance of continuous education, succession plans, improved attendance to meetings and activities, as well as friendship and effective communication.
The Chairperson for Zone 162 LCI in Ghana, Miss (Lion) Helen Obeng, advised members to be committed to the principles of Lionism.
She urged the Lions not to allow modern technologies, especially text messages, to replace personal communication with one other.
The function, which was attended by about 200 Lions and Leos in Ghana, including Mr (Lion) Sam Attu, Chairman for Region 16 of Lions Clubs International, who stressed the need for members to always remember that Lionism involved service.
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