Ophthalmic Nurse Mrs. Mary Wonneh talking to pupils about the importance of sun glasses on World Sight Day. © Ramatu Massaquoi \ Sightsavers

Disability

Around 10 per cent of the world's population, or 650 million people, live with a disability. 80 per cent of people with disabilities live in developing countries. People with disabilities, their families and carers are, and continue to be, some of the most excluded people in the world. People with disabilities are the world's largest minority, yet disability as an issue has for the main part, been left off the mainstream development agenda.

Dochas Disability and International Development (DID) Week is an annual event that aims to raise awareness of the importance of disability issues within international development through a series of seminars, a photographic exhibition and other events. The week is organised by the Dochas Disability and International Development Working Group.

Dochas Disability and International Development Working Group membership

Member organisations:
International Service Ireland (ISI)
cbm Ireland
The Centre for Global Health (CGH-TCD)
Health Action Overseas (HAO)
Comber Romanian Orphanage Appeal
Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO)
Disability Federation of Ireland (DFI)
Center for International Rehabilitation (CIR)
John Grooms
The Kimmage Development Studies Centre (Dtalk)
Irish Missionary Resource Service (IMRS)

Achievements

 

Working with our partners in 2011, we helped to:

• Treat over 24 million people for river blindness
• Perform over 250,000 sight-restoring cataract operations
• Treat over 4.6 million people with antibiotics for trachoma