Not only is CNIB the primary source of support for Canadians with vision loss, we are also an active participant in matters concerning vision health and vision loss on the international stage.
CNIB partners with vision loss organizations in the developing world, working with government and other non-profit organizations, sharing expertise and professional resources with people experiencing vision loss. CNIB is among those involved in the global fight against poverty and illiteracy, and in support of human rights.
CNIB shares its skills in partnership with many other organizations in the areas of:
- organizational development
- rehabilitation
- library services
- braille literacy
- technology
Our International Partners
A female Peer Educator with participants following
a grassroots training workshop
International organizations and government agencies, include:
- World Braille Foundation,
- African Union of the Blind,
- World Blind Union,
- The Canadian International Development Agency Partnership Branch (CIDA),
- and many more.
CNIB continues to look for rewarding opportunities and partnerships in government and with other NGO’s working with people with vision loss in all areas of the world.
For more information, please contact Barbara Marjeram, CNIB International Development at barbara.marjeram@cnib.ca.
Recent Achievements
CNIB’s achievements over the past five years include:
Working with key stakeholders toward the transition of the Caribbean Heritage Project funded by the Canadian Local Initiative Fund and UNESCO into the Caribbean Digital Library for the Blind and print disabled.
Participating in a global effort to tackle age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of severe vision loss in people over 50 in the developed world.
Partnering with the Canadian government through CIDA’s Partnership Branch, in 2007 CNIB completed a two-year project in six countries in Sub-Sahara Africa to bring HIV/AIDS awareness training and education to people living with vision loss.
Working with the African Union of the Blind over the next three years, CNIB is again providing education and awareness training to people with vision loss in 12 additional countries in sub-saharan
Africa on HIV/AIDS. The goal is to reduce the incidence of HIV/AIDS infection amongst people with vision loss and the project is expected to reach more than 10,000 people over the three years. In 2008 in support of this goal CNIB received further financial support from CIDA Partnership Branch.
Sending youth from across the globe each year to SCORE summer camp in Canada. SCORE is a summer camp for youth that spans over two weeks in Toronto and Lake Joe –CNIB’s own fully accessible recreational facility in Muskoka. In 2007, Abigail from Kenya and Joseph from Jamaica spent two weeks with other youths with vision loss. In 2008 CNIB hosted a student from Guyana and one from Ghana.
Links to Other Resources
www.afub-uafa.org
www.acdi-cida.gc.ca