Global Sight Solutions is a registered charity whose aim is to provide free eye care and eye surgery to the very poor in the developing world.
There are estimated to be as many as 650 million people worldwide who, due to poverty, are just too poor to access the necessary medical solutions for themselves.
Of that number around 50 million fall within a category often known as the avoidably, or preventably, blind.
The vast majority of these 50 million people are in need of what is invariably a straight-forward cataract operation.
We consider that the following points indicate Global Sight Solutions to be an efficiently run, financially prudent Charity which provides a sustainable humanitarian aid programme.
1/ GSS is administered by volunteers and therefore running costs are minimal. See ‘Costs’
2/ The business plan of GSS is simply that every hospital must generate its own income, such that, a few years after opening, it becomes financially freestanding. Each hospital employs its own staff, from cleaner to eye surgeon. It is therefore not reliant upon transient medical experts from either the country in question or from abroad.
3/ All equipment purchased is new and sourced in the country of use. All these items have both maintenance contracts and insurance, which significantly assists in the calculation of accurate hospitals overheads.
4/ GSS does not support other enterprises, but will fund the training of new surgeons at third party facilities providing the trainees pre-commit to GSS hospitals at the end of their education.
5/ Each hospital is run by a separate Hospital Charitable Trust which is controlled by the managing Rotarians.
6/ Funding is supported by Grants from Rotary’s charity, The Rotary Foundation, the third largest charity in the world, which typically increases donations to GSS by 500%.
7/ The Rotary Foundation operates a strict and transparent Grant process which ensures that every £ is accounted for thereby reassuring donors of the efficacy of the programme.
8/ GSS believes it is unique in the provision of free eye care to the poor, by virtue of the partnerships it forms with the managing Rotarians.
Rotarian Mike Griffiths – a member of Oswestry Rotary club, addressed members on the work of GSS since it’s formation (Eye Camps) as a Rotary Charity – Rtn Clive Crofts – International Chair of F & H Rotary gave a vote of thanks.
President Jim Reid, Mike Griffiths and Rtn. Clive Crofts
presenting Mike with a cheque for £250.
