Vision Bangladesh Fundraising Newsletter August 2011 BRAC gave me the opportunity to see again. I always pray Sumon Yusuf/BRAC for them © Sofatunnessa Sofatunnessa (60) used to earn BDT 200 per day from her handicraft business until she went completely blind from cataracts three years ago. Since having two cataract operations, her sight is completely restored and she is back at work again. (Adarshagram, Khadimpara, Sylhet) BRAC health volunteer Rafi qunnessa conducts a vision test for refractive error at a health forum meeting at Umednagar village in Habiganj, Sylhet Field update Division, Bangladesh. Vision Bangladesh ahead of schedule for 2011 Project on track to eradicate avoidable blindness across Sylhet Since January 2011, Vision Bangladesh has Sumon Yusuf/BRAC been scaling up across Sylhet Division to © achieve its target of eradicating avoidable blindness by 2013 and completing 100,000 Patients are identifi ed through extensive outreach activities that have so far screened more than 135,000 cataract operations. vulnerable, poor people through eye camps, hospitals, In the fi rst six months of 2011, more than 14,000 household visits by BRAC health volunteers, and cataract cases were successfully treated by BRAC community health forums. This is supported by an and Sightsaver’s hospital partners. innovative eye health campaign on the importance of “Every single week, we are organising more than eye screening and raising awareness on eye conditions. six hundred operations for people blinded by cataracts. Our medical partners are trusted specialised eye Our fi eld data shows that we are ahead of schedule hospitals serving the most vulnerable members of in achieving the targets for 2011 – to deliver 30,000 society: VARD eye hospitals in Sylhet and Sunamganj, operations.” said Faruque Ahmed, Director of BRAC Bangladesh National Society for the Blind (BNSB) in Health Programme. Maulvibazar, and Jalalabad Eye Care Society in Sylhet. Channel S Telethon The popular British-Bangladesh TV station, Channel S, The evening was such a success it had to be extended hosted a mini-telethon for Vision Bangladesh in for an extra hour to cope with the demand from callers. May that attracted a viewing audience of up to Donations came from all over the country and ranged 500,000 people. from a very generous £2,000 donation from a new community charity in Oldham to a young child donating Popular anchor and human rights lawyer, Anawar his pocket money. Babul, was the host presenter for the night. Guests included: Councillor Rania Khan (independent for The telethon was the culmination of a three month Bromley and Tower Hamlets Council), Yawar Khan advertising campaign that raised significant public (President of the Federation of Bangladeshi Caterers), support for Vision Bangladesh and inspired people to S. Faruque (former chairman of the BBCC) and donate £20 for the cost of one operation for a poor Athaur Rahman (Community Youth leader). blind person in Sylhet. “It is an absolute delight to be able to participate in People who rang up to donate said: fundraising for Vision Bangladesh. This initiative will give 100,000 people, the most vulnerable in the “It is incredible that for just £20 you can achieve Sylhet region, an opportunity to see, support their so much for one person. When I saw the advert, families and to be able to live again. It is a true I had to donate.” pleasure to be part of this great cause” Anonymous donor Councillor Rania Khan BRAC UK is now working with the British Bangladesh TV channels on a major fundraising appeal during Ramadan. Events gallery Suhel Choudhury/BRAC © BRAC UK volunteers won ‘team of the tournament’ at Oxford’s Nowka Bais People giving generously to Vision (Bangladeshi Boat Race) in July to raise awareness about Vision Bangladesh Bangladesh at Baishakhi Mela Channel S hosts Vision Bangladesh fundraising Vision Bangladesh was proud to be the official charity telethon with presenter Anawar Babul (centre) for this year’s Baishakhi Mela in Tower Hamlets Baishakhi Mela Future Events Vision Bangladesh was proud to be the official charity Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, Chairperson of BRAC, will be for this year’s Baishakhi Mela in Tower Hamlets – the chief guest at a press launch on July 24th for ‘£1 on the biggest London festival after the Notting Hill Carnival. Bill’ campaign in the UK. He will be joined by national The event celebrates Bengali New Year and attracted champion, Aziz Rahman, owner of award winning Aziz crowds of more than 120,000 people for seven hours restaurants in Oxford, and regional champions for of entertainment on a festival stage and a vibrant the scheme who are targeting 300 restaurants to market offering Bangladeshi food, fashion and culture. raise £300,000 for Vision Bangladesh in September and October. BRAC UK organised a team of fifty dedicated volunteers, predominately from the British-Bangladesh Each participating restaurant will be provided with communities, who collected donations for Vision promotional materials and the mechanism for Bangladesh on the day. collecting one pound on every table bill with customers being able to opt out if they prefer. BRAC also had an information stand to raise Regions from across the UK who will be participating awareness about the devastating impact avoidable include : Bath, Birmingham, Bristol, Bournemouth, blindness can have on a poor person’s life. A free prize Buckinghamshire, Cardiff, Chippenham, Dundee, raffle of a dinner for four was generously donated by Edinburgh, Epsom, Farringdon, Findon, Hampshire, Ismail Hossain, owner of the sophisticated Kolapata Luton, Manchester, Newbury, Newcastle, Reading, restaurant in Whitechapel. Salisbury, Sheffield, Surrey, Southampton, Whitley and Yorkshire. If you own or manage a restaurant and want to participate in ‘£1 on the bill’, please email: [email protected]. BRAC UK volunteers collecting public donations at the Baishakhi Mela (from left to right) Atika Zahra and Shaikha Mohammed BRAC and Sightsavers press launch for Vision Bangladesh in Dhaka attended by (from left to right) Prof. Dr. Khondhaker Md. Shefyetullah, Director General-Directorate General of Health Services, Dr Mahabub Hossain, Executive Director of BRAC, Prof. Deen Mohd. Noorul Huq, Line Director-National Eye Care & Director-NIO&H, Dr Caroline Harper, CEO, Sightsavers, Dr Wahidul Islam, Country Director of Sightsavers Bangladesh, Prof. Dr. A.F.M Ruhal Haque MP, Minister, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government Michael Thomas/BRAC © of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. I feel newly born About Vision Bangladesh and see the world Help restore sight to vulnerable poor with new eyes people in Bangladesh Farid Uddin (45) Vision Bangladesh is a groundbreaking partnership Tengra village, between BRAC and Sightsavers – two highly Dorbost Union, respected international charities. Jointapur, Sylhet Division Our aim is to eradicate 80% of blindness in Sylhet by 2013 and across the whole of Bangladesh by 2020. For more than 600,000 adults and 40,000 children, it is still not too late to have their sight restored and be given the opportunity to lead independent lives. To realise this ambitious, but achievable task, we need to raise £3 million to perform 100,000 sight restoring operations in the division of Sylhet by 2013. Sumon Yusuf/BRAC © A simple 20 minute operation, costing only £20, can change a person’s life forever. We can only achieve this with generous public donations. How to donate The Gift of Sight Donate online at: www.brac.net/visionbangladesh Farid was a poor landless labourer with a family of Phone donations: nine depending on him when he began losing his + 44 (0) 20 7922 7723 sight in both eyes to cataracts two years ago. Cheque donations can be sent to: “I was so upset. I could not earn at all. My neighbours helped me to support my family. I could not see to BRAC UK, Vision Bangladesh Appeal, even walk down the road or recognise people. The 32-36 Loman Street, SE1 0EH hospital told me I needed an operation but it was Please make cheques payable to: really expensive.” BRAC UK – Vision Bangladesh In March 2011, Farid was referred by a BRAC health Bank transfers/payments to: volunteer – Bela Rani – to the Vision Bangladesh eye Account name: BRAC UK – Vision Bangladesh screening camp. From there, it took less than three Account No. 62036991, Sort Code 40 07 13 (HSBC) days for him to be properly examined, diagnosed, and admitted to VARD eye hospital to undergo the necessary sight restoring operations. Afterwards, he received follow-up visits from the health volunteer to check on post-operation progress and was prescribed Donate by Text free glasses to correct a small problem with near You can now support sight. Vision Bangladesh paid for all the costs thanks to generous donations from the public in the UK. Vision Bangladesh in a matter of seconds Today, he is back at work and able to support his family again. Simply text BRAC20 and the amount you wish to donate, (either £1, £2, £3, £4, £5 or £10) to 70070 In the next three years, Vision Bangladesh will be (e.g. your text could read BRAC20 £10) screening one million poor people from across Sylhet to identify those most in need of sight restoring No network charges apply. operations and eye treatments. Thank you for your Your mobile allowance will not be affected. continued support. For more information on how to support Vision Bangladesh, and organise a fundraiser in your area, please email: [email protected] Sightsavers Registered Charity Number / Reference: England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 207544. Scotland: SC038110 BRAC UK Registered Charity Number: 1115482 .