VODACOM'S GOALS FOR MIRACLES RESTORES SIGHT FOR ELDERLY 

Hundreds of parents and grandparents stand to benefit from free cataract operations following the handover of the proceeds of Vodacom's Goals for Miracles campaign to three organisations working in the field of eye care.

The Pretoria Eye Institute, Netcare Vodacom Sight for You, and the South African National Council for the Blind were presented with a cheque today - World Sight Day - for R2.930 million to be used towards the costs of cataract operations that can help recover some of the sight that old age and other conditions may have robbed them of.

Today's Goals for Miracles contribution represented the amount raised during the 2008 Vodacom Challenge and 2008/2009 PSL season. In terms of the campaign, a contribution is made for every goal scored by the Vodacom-sponsored teams of Orlando Pirates, Bloemfontein Celtic and Kaizer Chiefs in the Absa Premier Soccer League, as well as goals scored in the annual Vodacom Challenge.

Goals scored during the Vodacom Challenge raised an amount of R450 000 whilst those scored in the Absa Premier Soccer League raised R2.480 million, making a total of R2.930 million.

Helping to reinforce the Goals for Miracles linkage today were five players from the Vodacom-sponsored Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs teams. The players provided a special moment for some of the elderly patients by posing for photographs with them.

Mthobi Tyamzashe, Chairman of Vodacom Foundation, said, "The Goals for Miracles campaign has enabled our soccer players to help underprivileged senior citizens through their goal scoring efforts. We are delighted to mark this year's Eye Care Awareness Week and World Sight Day through the handover of the 2008/2009 contribution that was made possible through the Goals for Miracles campaign, and trust that many others will have their sight restored through such operations."

At the Pretoria Eye Institute in Schoeman Street, Pretoria, all five days of the week will be dedicated to testing and performing operations on 450 elderly patients through the partnership with the Vodacom Foundation.

The partnership with Netcare will result in cataract operations enabling operations to a total of 350 beneficiaries during the month of October, broken down into the following areas:

• Western Cape: 10
• Eastern Cape: 70
• KZN: 10
• Gauteng: 110
• Free State: 100
• North West: 50

The South African National Council for the Blind will conduct three separate cataract blitzes in the North West province during October with the aim of providing 275 sight-restoring operations.

The SANCB's Vodacom Foundation team will be at Taung Hospital from October

5-9 and will then move on to Mafikeng Hospital from October 14-18, finally finishing off at Potchefstroom Hospital from 20-26 October.

In KwaZulu/Natal, the Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine of the University of KwaZulu/Natal will be performing 260 operations during Eye Care Awareness Week, with assistance from a contribution of R336 985 from the Vodacom Foundation.

Since the Vodacom Foundation was established in 1999, it has invested more than R500 million to uplift communities. Highlights of the Foundation's achievements in the field of health during its ten-year history include:

• R88-m invested in health projects;
• Operations for 465 children with facial anomalies through the Smile
• Foundation and Netcare;
• Heart surgery for 69 children through Walter Sisulu Paediatric
• Cardiac Centre for Africa;
• Nearly 4 500 cataract operations performed countrywide through
• Pretoria Eye Institute, Netcare and SA National Council for the Blind;
• More than 4 200 wheelchairs donated through partnership with Game;
• R20-m provided for HIV/Aids through 46664 starter packs;
• R8-m provided for loveLife, an HIV prevention programme for youth;
• R6.4-m for Cell-Life, providing effective technology-based solutionsfor the management of HIV/Aids.