Seva Canada is launching a gender & blindness video contest: www.HerSight.ca.
Vancouver, BC –Seva Canada is launching a national Video Contest, Her Sight Is Worth It, to raise awareness of blindness among girls and women and the barriers they face accessing eye care.
The video contest,www.HerSight.ca, is open to all Canadians over 13 years of age and is promoted throughout high schools, universities, and film schools.
Seva Canada is an international eye care charity that has been working for over 27 years to restore sight and prevent blindness in the developing world. Seva is a global leader on the issue of gender equity and eye health, which is this year's theme for World Sight Day, October 8th.
“There are 30 million reasons why Canadians care about this issue and will enter this contest – that is the number of blind women and girls. Seva Canada's video contest is a sure way to engage young filmmakers to tackle this important global health issue in a fun and creative way,” says Penny Lyons, Seva Canada’s Executive Director.
"We know her sight is worth it. The ripple effect of providing eye care to a single person is life-changing. You not only give that person their sight and life back, you also free their caregivers. Consider that 75 per cent of blindness is preventable or treatable, often with no more than a 15 minute cataract surgery costing $50 or less," explains Paul Courtright, co-director of the Kilimanjaro Centre for Community Ophthamology and the world leader on the issue of gender and blindness.
Of the estimated 45 million blind worldwide, 90% live in developing countries. Of these, 2 out of 3 blind are girls and women, because they receive only half the access to eye care that men do. The World Health Organization has stated that one of the most effective methods of reducing poverty is to restore sight.
The three winning videos will be screened at the World Community Film Festival in 8 locations across Canada. The top three winners will be honoured by having sight restored to one girl and one woman in their name.
The contest is sponsored by G.A.P Adventures and the Planeterra Foundation.
To mark World Sight Day, October 8th, Seva Canada is holding a benefit, Seva’s Eye Opener, at the Heritage Hall, 3102 Main St., Vancouver, sponsored in part by United Financial / Assante Wealth Management, A&B Partytime Rentals, Mark Anthony Group Inc., Pacific Western Brewing, and Tartine Bread & Pies.
For Her Sight Is Worth It video contest details, visit www.HerSight.ca
For more information on Seva Canada, please visit www.Seva.ca or contact Heather Wardle, ph: (604) 713-6622, email: fundraising@
