ST JOHN’S, Antigua – The Caribbean Council for the Blind/Eye Care Caribbean (CCB) is one of those non-profit organisations that flies below the radar most of the time, doing a lot of work in the background that doesn’t get much notice from the general public.
However, the work that the group has been doing since it was first established in 1967 is significant, so much so that the government of Antigua & Barbuda is now moving to assist it in more official ways.
CCB is based in Antigua & Barbuda, and is headed by CEO Arvel Grant. Among the activities it has pursued over the years is establishment of an itinerant eye care service that would provide Caribbean islands with the professional care that might be lacking; creation of an itinerant education programme for blind children; hosting regional training courses for counsellors conducting “Adjustment to Blindness” rehabilitation; and co-ordinating activities of various organisations that offer eye care and services for the blind.
With member organisations in 28 countries across the Caribbean and the Americas, the CCB is at the epicentre of eye care for the region. According to Grant, the organisation is now looking to “institutionalise eye care here in Antigua.” To that end, it is looking at establishing a programme to provide eye care services to people who cannot afford it otherwise.
A two-day clinic held at the Fiennes Institute on August 22 and 23 was part of this effort. In that clinic, led by Dr Genalin Ang, a senior lecturer in optometry at the University of Guyana and assisted by three second-year optometry students from the university, 69 staff members and residents of the institute were examined and will be receiving follow-up care.
Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer and Finance & Economy Minister Harold Lovell attended the opening ceremony for this special clinic.The prime minister praised CCB for choosing the Fiennes Institute as the launching pad for such an undertaking.
“This shows that individuals at Fiennes Institute are not forgotten at all … I think this is one of the finest initiatives ever undertaken,” he said.As announced by Lovell on that day, the government of Antigua & Barbuda has promised to fully support all waivers, duties, taxes and any other charges regarding the importation of supplies needed for programmes to be carried out in the country by CCB.
One of its primary goals, said Grant, is to secure a building here that can be used as a centre for quality eye care services that will extend to the rest of the Leeward Islands and beyond.
Grant noted that a “ring” will be placed around the service, in order to protect and enhance the development of private-sector eye care providers.“When we move out, we want to ensure that the primary beneficiaries of the service will be toddlers and students in any recognised institution, persons with disabilities, persons who are retired and persons who earn 66 per cent or less of the tax threshold,” he explained.
“In addition, we intend to accept referrals from members of Parliament and ministers of religion.”Right now CCB is in the process of receiving bids from suppliers for instruments, computer systems and necessary materials to provide services. Once these are received and a base of operations is established, it will be announcing further clinics and eye care services.
According to Grant, the organisation is supported by funding from the European Commission, Sight Savers International, and numerous eye care organisations.
Source: Antigua Observer