- General
- News Wrap
Our work, successes and impact in November 2024.
Our Strategy 2030
Light for the World has launched our Strategy 2030 with a new mission, vision, values and theory of change.
We will prioritise five targets by 2030 to spark lasting change:
1. Increase our agility to address volatility
2. Strengthen our advocacy and strategic communication
3. Mobilise funds effectively
4. Innovate and co-create to walk the talk on our values
5. Strengthen our accountability
Together with the people we work with – the drivers of change – our Strategy 2030 sets us on a stronger footing to deliver impact, at scale, sustainably.
Discover more and check out our new theory of change: https://www.light-for-the-world.org/publications/light-for-the-world-strategy-2030/
Issa’s call to ‘embrace inclusion’ at anti-landmine conference
Issa Khamis, a Disability Inclusion Advisor for Light for the World South Sudan, has called for a more inclusive society at an international anti-landmine conference.
Issa travelled to Cambodia to present at the Fifth Review Conference of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention. The world’s largest anti-landmine meeting brought together more than 600 delegates from over 80 countries.
Issa, who is a member of the South Sudan Association of the Visually Impaired (SSAVI), was aged five or six when he was injured after a hand grenade exploded. He lost part of his right arm in the blast and became visually impaired.
He told the conference how South Sudan is implementing the anti-mine convention, as well as about Light for the World’s work to promote inclusion for people with disabilities.
“I was excited because it is a big event. I was interested to go and share my experience and also learn from others and bring that knowledge back home,” Issa says.
“I want to convince people that disability is not inability. We have to embrace inclusion in all aspects of life. Regardless of difference, we have to embrace each other.”
Celebrating We Can Work success at Inspiration Week
More than 80 delegates from We Can Work teams across Africa have come together to share key learnings from the pilot year and plan for 2025.
Representatives from teams in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and Uganda, as well as partners from Mastercard Foundation and Organisations of Persons with Disabilities, met in Nairobi, Kenya, to celebrate the progress made this year.
From launching an international storytelling competition and a co-creation report, to lessons on disability inclusive mental health, We Can Work is reshaping perceptions of young people with disabilities in Africa and supporting them to find decent and fulfilling work.
Participants at Inspiration Week – including Ambrose Murangira and Mohammed Lansah pictured above (main image) – shared successes, insights and challenges and developed strategies for the next phase of the programme.
Child eye health milestone in Uganda
Children in Moyo, in the Northern Region of Uganda, will have their vision protected and prioritised after we signed a landmark agreement for child eye health.
The Light for the World Uganda team travelled to Moyo to review progress of our “1,2,3 I can see!” child eye health programme in the region. We proudly signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Moyo District Government to strengthen our collective efforts.
Some key achievements so far include:
- 197 teachers and 43 Village Health Team members (VHTs) trained in screening techniques, resulting in 20,760 screenings for learners and teachers
- Vision corridors introduced in over 30 schools
- More than 1,000 free spectacles provided
- More than 3,000 eye conditions treated using topical medications supplied by Light for the World.
CNN feature on blind football
CNN, one of the world’s most respected media outlets, has produced a feature on the South Sudan Blind Football Premier League.
CNN interviewed Simon Madol, the league Technical Director and a Disability Inclusion Facilitator, and player Jimmy Just Augustin for the piece about the competition, sponsored by Light for the World.
“A disability is not inability,” says Jimmy Augustin in the article.
“If you want to change your life, come and join blind football.”
In case you missed it…
- Katri Bertram, Light for the World’s International Director of Impact & Advocacy, urged global leaders to prioritise disability rights, especially during crises, in a blog for Global Solutions Initiative.
- UN OCHA’s ReliefWeb shared our story on how training teachers in sign language and braille is helping to boost inclusive education for children with disabilities in South Sudan.
- Disability Debrief echoed our call to protect people with disabilities in “unprecedented” floods in South Sudan
- As part of the Inclusive Futures programme, led by Sightsavers, and together with UDPK, Sense International and Humanity & Inclusion, we listened to people and partners to share Six Principles for Inclusive Development
