Alternative gift ideas from development charity Sightsavers
A pair of artificial eyeballs, four white canes and a handheld telescope – they may not be on your wish list this Christmas, but for people living in some of the least privileged countries in the world these simple gifts can transform lives. By choosing to buy a charity gift from Sightsavers International this year, you can give a personal and thoughtful gift to friends and family, and also help to change people’s lives for good.
Sightsavers health charity, which works to prevent and cure blindness in over 30 developing countries, has a range of gift ideas this Christmas through its alternative online gift scheme. Last Christmas the most popular charity gift was a cataract operation which takes just 20 minutes and costs a mere £17. People in the developing world very often cannot afford this simple yet life-changing operation, so with Gift of Sight, it really is possible to transform someone’s life forever.
Santosh Devi from Uttar Pradesh in India had been suffering from cataracts in both eyes and was finding it difficult to carry out her daily chores such as cooking and sewing. It was also affected her children’s upbringing. The 38-year-old mother said that her failing vision affected her family routine to such an extent that she had to depend on her sister-in-law to stay at home as a carer. Santosh thought she was never going to see again and was fearful of her future. Luckily, a local screening camp supported by Sightsavers diagnosed her and encouraged her to have the 20-minute cataract surgery that would allow her to see clearly again.
After the sight-restoring surgery, Santosh said –
I can manage my home independently now and support my family. Prior to the surgery, I could not cook food, feed the animals or fetch water for my family. Now I can do all this again and today not only me but all the members of my family have a new vision.
Paying for a cataract operation through Sightsavers’ Gift of Sight contributes to much more than just the surgery itself. It also helps fund the pre-screening process, the patient’s transport costs, training of ophthalmic staff and educational materials.
Other inspirational Christmas shopping ideas include –
- An eye operation for £5, curing the painful eye disease trichiasis. Causing constant irritation and terrible pain, if left untreated the disease can lead to blindness.
- A low vision telescope for £9, giving a child with sight problems the best possible chance of succeeding in school and going on to lead an independent life.
- Protect a community for £19, helping to fund the distribution of Mectizan, a drug which guards families in Africa against river blindness. Around 35 million people are currently infected with river blindness, and roughly 300,000 of them are already irreversibly blind.
- School screening for £45, helping to screen 100 children for sight related problems early on.
Once a gift has been selected, the recipient receives a card and voucher explaining how the gift supports Sightsavers’ projects in eye care, education and the rehabilitation of people who are blind and visually impaired.
