CBM Donates Equipment for Children with Irreversible Blindness

To promote inclusive education, CBM, in collaboration with the Baptist Convention Sierra Leone (BCSL), recently facilitated a generous donation of teaching and IT resources to the Milton Margai School for the Blind (MMSB) in Freetown, Sierra Leone. This initiative is part of the CBM-funded project "Improved Access to Eye Care in Sierra Leone".

This donation, worth €32,394, is not just a gesture of goodwill, but a strategic step towards strengthening the school's capabilities. It will inspire both teachers and students at MMSB to focus intensively on quality, inclusive and equitable education.

Sierra Leone is in a difficult situation: 5.9% of the population is blind. The ongoing four-year project, which began in January 2022, aims to reduce this rate by improving the availability and accessibility of eye health and education services.

The project includes various measures aimed at improving the performance of medical facilities and staff, promoting community and health authority engagement and ensuring access to education for children with irreversible blindness.

The handover ceremony was attended by representatives from CBM, the Sierra Leone Baptist Convention, the Sierra Leone Mental Health Coalition, the project team and the MMSB management and teaching staff. The students, who are the direct beneficiaries, were also present.

The donation, which was presented by the Chairman of the BCSL Board of Directors, included essential items such as laptops, Braille paper, digital recorders, a printer-copier, an embosser, plastic paper, a combiner and other paper materials.

Receiving this equipment, the MMSB director fondly recalled CBM's continuous support since the school's was founded. He thanked the representatives of CBM and BCSL and assured them that they would put the equipment to good use.