Give Someone Sight for the Cost of Six Coffees

Cataracts are one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide with 9 in 10 people who are visually impaired living in developing countries.

Thursday 10 October is CBM’s 12th annual Miracles Day, and the Christian charity is asking Australians to give up six cups of takeaway coffee to restore the sight of someone blind from cataracts.

CBM’s Campaign Manager, Mariska Meldrum, said that 8 in 10 cases of vision impairment are considered avoidable.

“Without early detection and treatment, children could live the rest of their life blind, when that doesn’t need to happen,” Mariska said.

A donation of just $33 today will give someone surgery to remove their cataracts and restore their sight for the rest of their life.

Mariska Meldrum joined 96five’s Brissy Brekky to explain more about Miracles Day and the impact of a $33 donation.

“I was recently in Nepal, and we turned up at the home of a young girl, Bandana, and we’d been told that she was completely blind from cataracts” Mariska said.

“When we arrived, I was quite shocked to see that both her younger sisters were also blind.

“They were all holding on to their mom and their mom had been a child bride so she was only about 20 years old… the mum couldn’t go to work because these three little children just constantly needed her.”

“I’ve seen a lot of children blind from cataracts… those particular three little girls really shocked me and really compelled me to come back to Australia and ask people to simply give up six cups of takeaway coffee and we can restore the sight of someone like those little girls.”

Since Miracles Day started 12 years ago, Australians have given more than 400,000 people the Miracle gift of sight.

CBM works alongside field partners to support eye health projects in countries like the Philippines, Bangladesh, Nepal, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, and Papua New Guinea.

“Once those cataracts are removed, they can see again for the rest of their life” Mariska said.

“It’s an amazing opportunity for us to be a complete blessing and the operation itself, it really just takes about 12 13 minutes, and it’s all done.

Donate at miraclesday.com.au or call 131 226.

Listen to the full interview in the player above.

Feature Image: Bandana getting her eyes checked / Supplied by CBM and used with permission.