The publicity brunch attended by Ibrahim Karaosmanoglu, head of Kocaeli Municipality, Murat Özdağ, head of Kocaeli Chamber of Commerce, Durmuş Aydın, vice president of IHH and journalist Abdurrahman Dilipak, was held in AntikKapı Restaurant in Kocaeli Izmit on Sunday 22nd December for the Cataract Hospital in Niger by IHH Foundation Humanitarian Relief Foundation.
The event opened with Quran recitation of Abdurrahman Sanfo from Burkino Faso followed by the head of IHH Kocaeli branch, Ismail Yesildal’s speech on cataracts, a common illness in Africa. Yesildal mentioned in his speech that several other eye sicknesses and blindness are also in a degree preventable and Niger Cataract Hospital will be able to do that.
In his speech, Ibrahim Karaosmanoglu, head of Kocaeli Municipality thanked IHH for their aids and initiatives and mentioned that to be able to see is a great blessing.
IhsanOzyurek responsible from IHH Cataract Department, who made a presentation about works done on cataracts around the world, gave a brief on the situation in Africa as regards to cataracts and the hospital to be founded. In his speech, writer and journalist Abdurrahman Dilipak highlighted the importance of the works done by IHH.
Durmuş Aydın, vice president of IHH presented wooden notepads used by students in Niger to two 10-year olds, Zeynep Atac and Ebrar Kula who donated each 1000 TL saving their pocket money. In the event, where a video presentation on IHH’s work around the world was played, cataracts glasses were placed in each table to allow the guests to have a feel of how a person diagnosed with cataracts would see the world.
At the end of the event, 180.000 liras were raised for the Cataracts Project, which costs 500.000 in total.
CATARACT PROJECT
TIKA, Islamic Development Bank and Niger Ministry of Health will provide an intensive training for Nigerien doctors who will work in the Niger Cataracts Hospital that will qualify them to carry out cataracts surgeries in 5 years. In addition to the hospital IHH is planning to complete in June, 2014, the ministry will allocate 3 operating rooms and 3 surgeries where 6 patients can be treated simultaneously.
