DOHA: Qatar Airways (QA)has announced that it has been named official airline of Orbis UK, a global blindness prevention charity, for two years starting September.
The announcement coincided with a launch of a fundraiser at Hamad International Airport (HIA) to mark World Sight Day, inaugurated by Princess Sophie, Countess of Wessex and a patron of International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness.
Orbis is an NGO working to eliminate avoidable blindness and visual impairment. About 285 million people in the world are blind or visually impaired, yet 80 percent of eye conditions can be prevented or cured. It trains local eye-care teams in latest sight-saving techniques and every year, its volunteers spend free time teaching and training health workers around the world.
QA will fly medical volunteers on duty to the airline’s destinations worldwide. Flying to over 150 destinations spread across six continents, QA has the capability to reach many of the countries Orbis UK volunteers want to reach.
Robert Walters, Chairman, Orbis Africa, said: “We are delighted that QA is supporting Orbis UK through becoming our official airline. The partnership continues our deep links with the aviation industry – since 1982 we have operated the world’s only Flying Eye Hospital, a training centre on board a fully adapted DC-10 aircraft.
A booth has been set up at HIA’s terminal beside Lamp Bear where passengers and airport staff can donate to the cause and engage in themed activities. Proceeds will go to ‘These Hands’ campaign. The booth has been adorned with paintings created by visually impaired children from Al Noor School for the Blind and Al Ruqayya School. The works were conceived and directed by British visual and performance artist Rachel Gadsden as part of Al Noor Fragile Vision, a multi-cultural art collaboration between UK and Middle East communities and arts organisations. HIA is exhibiting them in cooperation with British Council, which curated the exhibition.
The Peninsula
