Tuesday, 19 October 2010

Gap Adventures-Planeterra Foundation Plan to build Cataract Surgery Center


via CAAI

18 October 2010

Gap Adventures together with a non-profit Planeterra Foundation aim to build a vision center with a plan to restore the sights of Cambodian people through cataract surgery.

The future Gap Adventures 20/20 Vision Center will be placed to the impoverished rural province of Battamban in Cambodia with an aim to conduct simple cataract operations to help restore the sights of over 12,000 Cambodians who suffer blindness due to cataract problem.

Over 90 percent of these people whom have lost their visions believe to be preventable and are in curable conditions.

According to the reports of SEVA Canada, a dedicated Vancouver-based charity organization in treating and preventing of blindness, there are more than 314 million people are affected of severe vision impairment worldwide and about 45 million are blind. Based on their report 80 percent of these blindness is curable with the help of a 15-minute cataract surgery that only cost for about less than $50.

Bruce Poon Tip, founder of Gap Adventures, said that when thinking about celebrating their 20th anniversary, they came up with an idea to look forward on one of the core value that drives to the direction of their company, with a value of helping to change people lives. They could think no better ways to create a brighter future for people and places that enriched their lives and their travelers as well.

According to Poon Tip, to travel is a privilege and at their company they believe it comes with an obligation to their part. To help people in restoring their sight is something that the company wants to concentrate on.

They will launch events that will support and help their goal through Ignite the Nite to be held in Toronto on November 3.

The Gap Adventure is an adventure travel agency that offers small group adventures across the seven continents to over 100,000 global travelers annually.

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