Expanding the SightFirst Legacy

LCIF launches new Vision Grant to support Lions' service.

“Ever since Helen Keller inspired Lions to champion the vision cause 100 years ago, we’ve served and advocated for the blind and visually impaired of all ages, in every corner of the world,” said Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) Chairperson Dr. Patti Hill.

This historic appeal encouraged Lions to act as knights of the blind, and they have continually risen to that challenge by developing innovative projects, partnerships and programs, empowered by LCIF.

The SightFirst program has been one of the key ways Lions and Leos have lived out this challenge in recent years. Since 1990, SightFirst funds have allowed Lions, health care providers and partner organizations around the world to fight the major causes of preventable and reversible blindness, impacting more than 544 million people.

In just over three decades, LCIF approved more than US$389 million in SightFirst Grant funding for over 1,400 projects in 118 countries, thanks to the incredible generosity of donors. These funds enabled 9.8 million cataract surgeries and trained 2.66 million health care professionals. They also secured hundreds of millions of doses of medications to control trachoma and river blindness, helping eliminate river blindness in Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala and Mexico, as well as helping eliminate trachoma in Malawi. These humanitarian service efforts have changed lives and improved communities. However, according to the World Health Organization, more than 2.2 billion people worldwide live with a vision impairment, and still need help.

To build on the legacy of SightFirst, LCIF launched a new Vision Grant opportunity that supports Lions-led service activities fighting blindness and preventable vision loss and assists people in underserved communities who are blind and visually impaired. The Vision Grant aims to support infrastructure development, equipment acquisition, human resource building and limited consumables, which are all core principles of the SightFirst program.

“We are extremely proud of our history, and look forward to the continued impact we will make restoring and preserving vision in the decades to come with this new grant opportunity,” said Dr. Hill.

Visit lionsclubs.org/vision-grant to learn how LCIF empowers Lions’ and Leos’ service in vision.