CBM, partners collaborate towards Inclusive Eye Health in the Philippines

©CBM

CBM, local partners, and government agency are working together to develop an inclusive and comprehensive multi-year plan for Inclusive Eye Health in the Philippines.

On February 27 to March 1, 2018, representatives from CBM Asia South East Regional Office, Member Associations (MA) - CBM Germany and CBM Australia, local partners - Cataract Foundation Philippines, Inc. (CFPI), Resources for the Blind, Inc. (RBI), and National Committee for Sight Preservation (NCSP), and the Department of Health (DOH) held an Inclusive Eye Health multi-year plan (MYP) planning workshop.

Following the Theory of Change, the group developed key components of an MYP that is closely aligned with CBM’s programme initiative. The plan also focuses on inclusive and comprehensive health services and directly addresses Low Vision in the programme.

Key topics discussed:
Selected participants gave presentations that led to meaningful exchanges among the participants. The presentations included:

  • IEH Initiative and CBM learnings on inclusion in eye health programmes and situation analysis
  • Prevalence of blindness from RAAB study and the DOH experience in Region 8 (located in the Visayas island)
  • Making eye health inclusive
  • Project vision, goals, outcomes, activities, and risks and assumptions
  • Theory of Change
  • CBM and MA reporting requirements and next steps

The workshop resulted to an agreement of a five-year MYP, which is aligned to the DOH Prevention of Blindness Programme that runs from 2018 to 2022. CBM, CFPI, and partners are one with DOH in expanding their coverage area to Region 8, one of the poorest provinces in the country. CFPI, RBI, and NCSP have agreed to collaborate and determined their key roles in the process.