Vodacom Challenge goals will help restore sight

As excitement for this year's Vodacom Challenge in July starts to build, several hundred elderly people are also looking forward to the thrill of once again properly seeing a soccer match.

Thanks to Vodacom's Goals for Miracles campaign, R150 000 will be donated by the company for cataract operations for every goal scored during the two-week tournament. Many of the elderly people who will benefit from the operations would not have been able to see a soccer match properly for several years because cataracts have impaired their vision.

As in the past, the operations will be performed by three partner organisations of the Vodacom Foundation: the Pretoria Eye Institute, Netcare and the South African National Council of the Blind (SANCB).

Many of these operations are performed during the annual Eye Care Week in October. However, a smaller number of operations also take place throughout the year. The operations are done at Netcare Hospitals, state hospitals throughout South Africa as well as the Pretoria Eye Institute. The SANCB operates mobile clinics which provide eye screening at various locations, following which the operations are done at nearby state hospitals.

Mthobi Tyamzashe, Vodacom's Executive Director, CSI, says: "Through the years, we have witnessed many life-changing moments as these cataract operations give people back their sight. Losing your sight and then having it suddenly restored must surely be one of the greatest gifts anyone can experience.

"Elderly people in need of cataract operations can contact the following for assistance: South African National Council for the Blind on 012 452 3811; Netcare on 0860 638 227; and the Pretoria Eye Institute on 0861 630 630