The Rotary Club of Makati McKinley (RCMMc) implemented in July two of its largest service projects since the club was chartered four years ago.  With a combined cost of about P900,000, the Avoidable Blindness and the Meal and Gift from the Heart projects cut across several Rotary themes and priority thrusts, notably health and hunger, literacy, child mortality, youth service, international service, and even the development of club leaders beyond club level, through partnerships with other clubs in the District.

AVOIDABLE BLINDNESS

The Avoidable Blindness (AB) is a Matching Grant Project (US$16,000.00) aimed at correcting or preventing eye defects and illnesses among primary schoolchildren. The beneficiaries are the 800 or so Grades I to IV students of Sucat Elementary School in Muntinlupa City for the school year 2008-2009.

The project consists of: (a) lecture on eye care and various eye diseases, and their prevention and cure; (b) training of volunteers – parents, teachers and members of RC Makati McKinley (RCMMc) and partner clubs – for the initial eye screening; (c) actual eye check up by ophthalmologists of the children recommended by the volunteers for further diagnosis; and (d) free eyeglasses to those who need them.

The lecture and training components – educating parents on various eye illnesses and how to prevent them, as well as training volunteers on eye screening – were held on July 18. This was followed by a weeklong initial eye screening and check-up by the ophthalmologists on July 21-25 (the activity spilled over to the first week of August). Students identified to require eyeglasses will then be fitted with one, which will be given free starting August 2008.