Restore Sight, Share Vision with Vision Care Global Youth Team!

          What volunteer services are you involved in your spare time? Do you want to be involved? If you do, I’ll introduce you an organization suitable for you and if you do not want to be involved, I’ll inform you of a shocking news that will persuade you to participate in curing a cause. Having experienced this organization, I have realized the positive aspects of this organization and would like to recommend it rather than recommending an organization without experience and only based on facts.

         

          Did you know the fact that one person becomes blind every 5 seconds and one child becomes blind every minute? About 180 million people in the world have low vision and among them, 45 million are legally blind. Among these 45 million people, 80% of their blindness can be avoided by proper treatment or prevention. Also, 50% of this blindness are caused by cataract, which is curable through surgery. According to WHO, blindness from cataract will reach 50 million by 2020 and 90% of them will be from less developed countries. Their vision could be fully restored with only $120 of medical supplies and one fully equipped ophthalmologist team. (provided by WHO).
       

     There are many community service groups that work towards curing this issue. However, having experiences in one organization, I would like to deal with one organization in particular, which is Vision Care Service and its associate group, Vision Care Global Youth. 

     Vision Care Global Youth (VCGY) is under an adult organization Vision Care Service, which is an organization working along with IAPB under WHO. It promotes many eye sight restoring campaign inside their capability. They go on street campaigns where they can let others aware of this shocking news and receive donations. They also hold annual concerts in order to collect massive amounts of money that will be used for eye surgery of those who are in need. Also, there are small units who work in their schools. They use their lunch time and time after schools to let the cause be widely known and receive even the smallest donation including 100 won. 

          For students who are not yet ready to be out in the society, schools are a small version of the society that they could fulfill what they want. Therefore, they have campaigning activities in school in order to raise money. They know that school is not going to give them much money but it is most valuable experience. Even though this community service group was created in order to help blind people in Africa, it provides teenagers opportunities to be leaders pulling everything related to the organization together. 

          Vice President of theVCGY in Korea International School, Chloe Song, said “this activity has made me to earn more experience in leading other fellow students which is beneficial for my life because leadership is a helpful quality.”
          Member of VCGY, Peter Kim, has also stated “this community service provides experience valuable to everyone no matter what you would like to become because there are variety of work needed including designing to keep financials organized.” 

          Many members of VCGY feel satisfied with their work and the thought that they are saving someone pleases them.  Anyone willing to help support this cause could visit the website www.vcgy.org.