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Launch of Korean Eye Care Working Group

Published: 12.11.2018
Story: Launch of Korean Eye Care Working Group/Representatives of Severance University, Korean Ophthalmology Society, Heart to Heart, Good People International, Korean Society for the Prevention of Blindness and Siloam Foundation gather for launch meeting of the KECWG.
Representatives of Severance University, Korean Ophthalmology Society, Heart to Heart, Good People International, Korean Society for the Prevention of Blindness and Siloam Foundation gather for launch meeting of the KECWG.

On World Sight Day 2018, Korean members of IAPB launched a Korean Eye Care working group.

October 11, saw the first meeting of the Korean Eye Care Working Group, organized by IAPB Members Severance University (many of you will know them as Project BOM) and hosted by the Korean Ophthalmology Society (KOS). Increasingly evident across the Western Pacific Region (and also noted by colleagues in Africa, Middle East and South Asia) is the emergence of Korean NGOs who are aspiring towards greater engagement with local partners and programmes. This is obvious both in their carefully tailored projects and also in the support which they receive from Korean Aid – KOICA.

Globally there is a shrinking donor community so the valuable support of KOICA should not be underestimated. By forming the KECWG our Korean members and partners are demonstrating the maturity of their sector, the maturity of the Korean Eye Health Sector and returning the trust that KOICA has placed in them as sound development partners. A willingness to share information and context, to celebrate each other’s success and to learn from each other’s challenges, acknowledges a key theme of IAPB – Stronger Together.

In my World Sight Day message clip below, you can see Project BOM team leaders Dr Sangchul Yoon and Mr Holden Kim with the L’Occitane Korea team members, who we met with on World Sight Day.