International Day of Older Persons: AFAB Launches Cataract Campaigns in Niger -

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On the occasion of the International Day of Older Persons, the Alliance to Fight Avoidable Blindness (AFAB) successfully conducted three cataract surgery campaigns in Niger, targeting the regions of Dosso, Konni, and Maradi.

Partnership and Funding
These operations were the result of a collaboration between the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development (ISFD), and the Nigerien Ministry of Public Health, Population, and Social Affairs. The campaigns were fully funded by the Azerbaijan International Development Agency (AIDA) and implemented in partnership with Niger’s National Eye Health Program (PNSO).

Impact of the Campaigns
The impact of these three campaigns was significant:

Vision screening was provided to 14,442 people, 61% of whom were over 60 years old.
Sight was restored to 1,524 patients (638 women and 876 men) through surgical interventions.
All operated patients also received post-operative follow-up care and visits.

Official Reactions
Dr. Sabo Hassan Adamou, Deputy Secretary-General of the Ministry of Health, expressed the Nigerien government’s deep gratitude to the IsDB and AIDA for their “invaluable support” to the PNSO, highlighting improvements in both eye health and public health in general. He also reaffirmed the ministry’s willingness to support any future initiatives by the partners.

Mr. Oumarou Garba, President of the Older People’s Association of Niger, praised the initiative as a “tribute” to the millions of citizens who have served the country. He warmly thanked the ministry’s team as well as the IsDB and AIDA for helping thousands of older people regain their sight and access eye care consultations.

Alliance Development
Building on the success of the first phase of the Alliance, the IsDB and ISFD announced the launch of a second generation. This new program aims to expand its reach to benefit 13 IsDB member countries: Burkina Faso, Chad, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Somalia, and Togo.