Sarah made the pledge at a working session with provincial leaders on April 12.

The three-year programme aims to provide free eye check-ups and cataract operations for the poor, in addition to donations of advanced technology and help in personnel training in both surgery and management skills to the provincial eye centre.

Over the past two years, the FHF-funded programme has helped restore eye-sight to over 1,800 poor patients and trained ophthalmologists for local medical stations. Thanks to the programme, public awareness on blindness prevention has increased considerably.