Churches invited to celebrate gift of sight this autumn

Leading blindness charity Sightsavers International is asking churches to join together in worship and prayer to mark World Sight Day this October.

The charity hopes to raise awareness of the 45 million people in the world who are blind today, with most living in the developing world.

Sightsavers Sunday will coincide with World Sight Day on Sunday 12 October and Sightsavers is encouraging Christians to mark the day by focusing their prayers on those who are blind or visually impaired, and learning more about the ways in which the disability affects sufferers.

Nine out of 10 blind people live in the developing world and being blind can mean missing out on an education and therefore a proper livelihood. Often, the blindness is preventable or curable.

Singer-song writer Corinne Bailey Rae, who has given her support to Sightsavers Sunday, said: "It is shocking that 75 per cent of the 45 million blind people in the world are needlessly blind. A simple operation, antibiotics or access to clean water and better sanitation can turn things around.

"I congratulate the wonderful work Sightsavers does working in developing countries, preventing and curing blindness and supporting visually impaired people."

Sightsavers works in over 30 countries across Africa, Asia and the Caribbean to treat avoidable blindness and in 2007 alone, helped treat more than 23.2 million people for potentially blinding conditions through its indigenous partners.

Ten-year-old Manoj from Tamil Nadu State in south India was born with partial vision. He was identified as having bilateral cataracts whilst attending a screening organised by a Sightsavers partner. Manoj travelled to Sankara Eye for a short operation to remove the cataracts and is now able to enjoy playing cricket and learning math and science at school.

For a themed Sightsavers Sunday pack, including a DVD and suggestions for appropriate songs, readings and activities go to fundraising section of www.sightsavers.org/supportus