Why personalEYES?

In the Community - making a difference

personalEYES are proud to support Vissot

In 1998, Ross McKenzie travelled to Cambodia to be a volunteer youth pastor with his church. Ross recognised the need for disadvantaged women and students in the church and community to have access to training and employment opportunities. So he stayed on in Cambodia for ten years and founded Healthland Development Organisation.

Vissot Co. Ltd (Cambodia) is a company which belongs to Healthland and is a base for achieving many of the organisation’s goals of providing employment and training. Ross recently returned to Australia to start his own import business, Vissot (Australia), so that he can continue to support the Cambodian people by buying their products. If you would like information about how to support Healthland, please contact Ross McKenzie by emailing healthland@online.com.kh.

HELP Madagascar www.helpmg.org

HELP Madagascar is a nonprofit, Christian development organisation working to empower the poorest of the poor for self-change through health, education & life-skills projects.

Based in Toamasina (a.k.a., Tamatave) along Madagascar’s central east coast, HELP works primarily in Toamasina-ville, the rural districts surrounding the town, and a few sites near the national capital, Antananarivo.

Health & Human Rights: With 61% of the Malagasy population living on less than $1 USD a day, even a minor illness or injury can be devastating. HELP provides free and subsidised health care for the poorest of the poor. HELP also stresses lifestyle changes that help prevent common health problems. Human rights advocacy is another important aspect of HELP’s work, including aiding victims of child abuse, domestic violence and sexual assault.

Education: Each year, HELP Madagascar assists at least 200 children and young adults to attend school from pre-K to university. About 75 of those students are enrolled on-site in a ten-month intensive “catch-up” class to help orphans, dropouts and illiterate teens reintegrate into school. The course offers free school supplies, a daily hot lunch, and medical/dental assistance as incentives to motivate students and their parents.

Life-skills Projects: Vocational training is another crucial aspect to help break the cycle of poverty and hopelessness. HELP sponsors adolescents and young adults to programs that prepare for a career in carpentry, metalwork, sewing and embroidery, etc. Modest, no-interest loans are available on a case-by-case basis for small enterprise development.

Emergency Relief: Post-cyclone disaster relief, emergency medical aid, assistance after a house fire or the death of a family member – HELP strives to show compassion and minimise suffering when the unexpected occurs.

personalEYES proudly supports the work of SONSHIP

SONSHIP which means Serving Overseas Nations by Ship has as its basic philosophy the service of our fellow human beings, particularly in the Solomon Islands, where shipping and boats are the only means of transport.

SONSHIP’s vision is to expand their medical program from the Solomons to the whole of the South Pacific region. In August, 2007 a 50 foot power catamaran MediSONSHIP1 was purchased with the aim of making this boat a permanent floating medical clinic.

This clinic travels to the remote villages that presently have no medical assistance and teams have travelled to the Western Solomons and initiated the adopt-a-clinic program. www.sonship.org.au

Dr Kerrie Meades' expertise in refractive surgery is internationally recognised.

This international recognition extends to third world countries where Dr Meades generously donates her time and skills in performing eye surgery for those in need.

Dr Kerrie Meades has participated and lead teams into three provinces of China with the mission of reducing the number of Chinese nationals who are legally blind from cataract.

On average only 300 cataracts are performed a year in some provinces, due to the lack of doctors and funding available to perform the surgery.

In 2003 The Australian Council for the Promotion of Peaceful reunification of China organised a medical team consisting of Cataract Surgeons, Anesthetist, Nurses and Orthoptists that traveled from Australia to Tibet to perform cataract surgery on locals who would otherwise not be able to afford it. Thus “eyes on Tibet” was launched.

In 2004 “eyes on Sichuan” again gave sight to hundreds of locals, who would have had to wait many of years to have cataract surgery.

2005 was the 3rd trip for Dr Meades and the leader of the medical team to Yunnan for “eyes on Tibet Yunnan”.

On all three trips, all of the Australian medical team donated their own time and expertise to help a community in need.

Vietnam - In 2003 Dr Meades was invited by Alcon Australia to travel to Vietnam to help install and instruct local Ophthalmologist’s on Lasik Refractive Surgery.