Light for the World

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Light for the World
logo
legal form International non-profit organization
founding 1988, Vienna , Austria
Seat Vienna
main emphasis Development cooperation , blindness prevention , disability rights , community-based rehabilitation
Action space Global
sales € 21.1 million (2013)
Employees 129 employees worldwide
Website www.light-for-the-world.org

Light for the World is a European professional association of non-governmental organizations for the benefit of eye-sick, blind and other disabled people in developing countries . In 185 aid projects in Africa , Asia , Oceania and Latin America , Light for the World works together with local partners for the opportunities and rights of disabled people and those at risk of disability in particularly disadvantaged regions of the world, regardless of nationality, ethnicity, gender or Religion.

structure

The association has eight member organizations:

  • Light for the world of Austria
  • Light for the world of Switzerland
  • Light for the World eV Germany
  • Světlo pro Svět - Light for the World (Czech Republic)
  • Light for the World CIO (UK)
  • Licht voor de Wereld / Lumiére pour le monde (Belgium)
  • Light for the World The Netherlands (Netherlands)
  • Light for the World USA Inc.

These are sister associations with equal rights with their own management teams.

In 2008, Light for the World , Světlo pro Svět and Licht voor de Wereld founded the Confederation Light for the World in order to achieve more intensive cooperation between the sister associations. The aim is to “use flexible, unbureaucratic decision-making structures [...] to harness synergies for our work.” ( Activity Report 2008/09 ).

In 2009, a cross-border department for the coordination of international experts ( Unit of Program Support and International Advocacy ) was established. She takes care of advocacy work for the rights of people with disabilities and the establishment of a sustainable development policy at European and international level.

In 2015 the umbrella organization Licht für die Welt International was founded by the founding associations Austria, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Belgium, and the associations in Germany and Switzerland joined the umbrella association. In 2016 the clubs in the UK and USA became members.

In 2016 the budget was 25.8 million euros, 55% of which came from donations, 12% from foundations and 16% from public project funding, in particular from the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs and the European Union , the rest comes from, among other things Legacies.

History of each national organization

The Austrian light for the world was founded in 1988 in Vienna with the name Christoffel-Blindenmission as an Austrian member of CBM International . In 1996 the Austrian government began to work with the CBM within the Austrian development aid program. In 2004 the organization was renamed Light for the World - Christoffel Development Cooperation and Federal President Dr. Heinz Fischer took over the patronage. It is also the bearer of the Austrian seal of approval for donations . In the spring of 2008 the association started the first Austrian sponsorship program exclusively for disabled children in Africa. With 25 euros per month, sponsors give children with disabilities access to rehabilitation, giving them the opportunity to lead an independent life and learn everyday skills such as sitting, walking and speaking. The association maintains so-called "support associations" in Zurich and Munich, through which donations from Switzerland and Germany are tax deductible.

Light for the World in Belgium was founded in 1997 under the name Christian Blind Mission Belgium and was originally also a member of the CBMI . At the end of 2008, the CBMI was broken up, renamed Licht voor de Wereld / Lumiére pour le monde and became a member of the Light for the World Confederation .

Světlo pro Svět was founded in 2007 in the Czech Republic.

The Dutch Stichting Dark & ​​Light was founded in 1982 as a family business and in the following twenty years developed into the largest aid organization in the Netherlands. On February 21, 2011, the managing directors of Licht für die Welt, Světlo pro Svět, Lumiére pour le monde and Dark & ​​Light signed an agreement with which the latter organization joined the association and was renamed Light for the World. This step was completed on April 1, 2011.

Focus

The focus of work is the prevention and healing of blindness , the rehabilitation of blind and otherwise disabled people, the prevention of disabilities and the strengthening of the rights of disabled people. The priority countries are Ethiopia , Mozambique , Burkina Faso , South Sudan , Pakistan , Bolivia and India .

In the 185 projects that the association supported in 19 countries in 2013, 953,000 people were examined, treated, trained or operated on, including 56,367 cataract operations and 73,554 children with disabilities supported and rehabilitated.

Networking

The organization has a strong international network and is a member of the International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC), the European NGO umbrella organization CONCORD and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB).

"Ambassador"

The runner Henry Wanyoike and Joseph Kibunja in the light of the world -Benefizveranstaltung Vienna Night Run 2009

Actress, presenter and author Chris Lohner has been involved in the Austrian confederation section “Light for the World” as an “ambassador of good will” since 2001 . At the international level, the Confederation was or is represented by a number of prominent ambassadors: Paralympics winner Henry Wanyoike , Olympic and four-time world champion Haile Gebrselassie , Maximilian von und zu Liechtenstein , former Austrian Foreign Minister and EU Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner , Nelson Mandela's attorney Joel Joffe and human rights activists Yetnebersh Nigussie and Ron McCallum .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Project list ( Memento of the original from August 21, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on light-for-the-world.org @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.light-for-the-world.org
  2. Light for the World welcomes Dark & ​​Light ( Memento of the original from July 27, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on light-for-the-world.org - Accessed February 24, 2011 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.light-for-the-world.org
  3. a b Activity report 2016/17. (PDF; 4.0 MB) Light for the World, accessed in August 2019 .
  4. Dark & ​​Light joins LIGHT FOR THE WORLD on darkandlight.eu - Accessed April 1, 2011
  5. Where we are ( Memento of the original from August 21, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on light-for-the-world.org @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.light-for-the-world.org
  6. International Board of Ambassadors on light-for-the-world.org - accessed on September 30, 2013