Light for the World is a European

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 confederation

Confederation

A confederation in modern political terms is a permanent union of political units for common action in relation to other units. Usually created by treaty but often later adopting a common constitution, confederations tend to be established for dealing with critical issues such as defense, foreign...

 of national development NGOs committed saving eyesight, improving the quality of life and advocating for the rights of person with disabilities in the underprivileged regions of our world – irrespective of gender, origin, ethnic descent or religion.

Today Light for the World supports 150 programmes in 15 countries in Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

, Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

 and Latin America

Latin America

Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages  – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...

, dedicated to the restoration of eyesight, prevention of blindness, rehabilitation of persons with disabilities and promotion of their human rights.

Organisation

In 2008 a formal agreement of confederation was signed by member organisations in Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

, Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 and Czech Republic

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....

 in order to strengthen the collaboration in the programme countries and to improve possibilities to distribute funds and resources.
In February 2011, dutch NGO Dark & Light joined Light for the World.

Member NGO's:

• Licht für die Welt - Christoffel Entwicklungszusammenarbeit (Austria)
• Svêtlo pro Svêt (Czech Republic)
• Licht voor de Wereld - Lumiére pour le monde (Belgium)
• Dark & Light (Netherlands)

The overall income of the confederation LIGHT FOR THE WORLD 2008 amounts to 12,6 million Euro. The foundation of the work is built on the commitment of over 150.000 individuals, who account for 76,2% of total revenue. 8,87% are from public body – the European Union, the Austrian Development Cooperation (OEZA) and the Czech Development Cooperation.

In 2008 Light for the World established a child sponsorship programme to intensify and expand the support for children with disabilities in developing countries.

In 2009 a cross-border Unit of Programme Support and International Advocacy (UPSA) was established. It contends for the rights of people with disabilities to establish a sustainable development policy on European and international level.

History

• Dark & Light was founded in 1982 by the ophthalmologist Martien Cozijnsen and his wife Jenny. The small 'family foundation' has grown into the biggest development organisation in the Netherlands working for the prevention of blindness and the rehabilitation of persons with disabilities.
• The Austrian organisation "Licht für die Welt" was founded in 1988 in Vienna under the name "Christoffel-Blindenmission Austria". Among the first projects of the young Austrian organisation were eye care units and rehabilitation programmes in Ethiopia
  Ethiopia
  Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
  
   and Kenya
  Kenya
  Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
  
  .
• The Belgian branch of Light for the World was founded in 1997 under the name of Christian Blind Mission Belgium. One of the first programmes supported was CCBRT – an orthopaedic and eye care hospital and rehabilitation programme in Dar es Salaam
  Dar es Salaam
  Dar es Salaam , formerly Mzizima, is the largest city in Tanzania. It is also the country's richest city and a regionally important economic centre. Dar es Salaam is actually an administrative province within Tanzania, and consists of three local government areas or administrative districts: ...
  
  , Tanzania
  Tanzania
  The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
  
  .
• In 1999 the initiative "VISION 2020 – The Right To Sight" was launched in cooperation with the World Health Organisation (WHO).
• Light for the World has been an active member in this global action plan to eliminate preventable blindness by the year 2020 since the beginning.
• 2004, the organization in Austria changed its name into "Licht für die Welt - Christoffel-Entwicklungszusammenarbeit", and appeared worldwide as "Light for the World". Also, the Austrian president Dr. Heinz Fischer
  Heinz Fischer
  Heinz Fischer GColIH is the President of Austria. He took office on 8 July 2004 and was re-elected for a second and last term on 25 April 2010. Before he took office, Fischer was a member of the Social Democratic Party of Austria...
  
   became patron of Light for the World.
• In 2007, the Czech branch of Light for the World was founded in Prague and currently supports programmes in Ethiopia
  Ethiopia
  Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
  
  .
• In 2008 a formal agreement of confederation was signed by Light for the World in Austria, Belgium and Czech Republic in order to strengthen the collaboration in the programme countries and to improve possibilities to distribute funds and resources.
• In 2010, the austrian "Licht für die Welt" and the dutch Dark & Light made an agreement over the responsibility in projects where they collaborated on. "Licht für die Welt" took over the responsibility over projects in Ethiopia and Pakistan, Dark & Light did the same on Nepal and Sudan.
• In 2011, Dark & Light joined the Confederation.

Key activities

There are about 37 million blind people in the world, 90% live in developing countries. 75% of cases of blindness are treatable by relatively simply means or could have been avoided in the first place. 80% of the world's 650 million persons with disabilities live in developing countries. 45 million of them are children. Only a very small percentage has access to basic health care and basic education.

Prevention of Blindness and Restoring of Eye Sight is the most important sector focus in the programmatic work of Light for the World. With its engagement Light for the World contributes to the elimination of avoidable blindness in the context of the international initiative ‘VISION 2020 – The Right to Sight’ in poor regions, targeting marginalised and neglected people without access to medical eye care and rehabilitation. Light for the World aims to be considered a competent and flexible partner in the planning, implementation and evaluation of initiatives set in this area.

LIGHT FOR THE WORLD commits itself to the task of creating new prospects for persons with disabilities, to increase mobility with the help of devices, as well as to start initiatives that will provide education and income. Another objective is to raise awareness on inclusion of persons with disabilities in their family and social environment. This is an important basis for inclusion and for the autonomy and self-determination of persons with disabilities. Raising public awareness on the situation of persons with disabilities in developing countries forms an important part of our work.

Light for the World has chosen 6 priority countries and 9 more programme countries to focus its work - Ethiopia

Ethiopia

Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...

, Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...

, DR Congo, Mozambique

Mozambique

Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...

, Rwanda

Rwanda

Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...

 and Southern Sudan. In addition Light for the World is active in the following countries and regions: Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

, Tanzania

Tanzania

The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...

, Togo

Togo

Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...

, Uganda

Uganda

Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...

, Northeast India, Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

, Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...

, Bolivia

Bolivia

Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...

 and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Guiding principles in cooperation with partners in the developing world

• Support local partners in underprivileged regions of the world in their work with and for people who are blind, have other disabilities or are at risk of becoming disabled.
• Provide help irrespective of gender, ethnicity, or religion and in particular to very underprivileged groups, such as women, children, indigenous peoples and marginal groups in society.
• Act according to the needs of the people affected.
• Programmes reach as many people as possible.
• Support programmes leading to sustainable strengthening and social inclusion of people who are blind or have other disabilities in their communities.
• Support programmes also in difficult periods and respond to current challenges with endurance, perseverance and flexibility.
• To apply efficient and economical use of funds in projects and take into consideration principles of ecological and social sustainability and fair trade whenever possible.
• Enable a global exchange of experiences regarding effective and efficient concepts in the programme areas that Light for the world support.

Memberships and Platforms

• VISION 2020 – The Right to Sight
• International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB)
• International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC)
  International Disability and Development Consortium
  The International Disability and Development Consortium is a global consortium of disability and development related organisations. The aim of IDDC is to promote inclusive development internationally, with a special focus on promoting human rights for all disabled people living in economically...
  
  
• International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment (ICEVI)
• Global Campaign for Education
• Onchocerciasis Control Programme (OCP)
• Fair Trade