Godalming & Villages Lions Club is committed to International affairs. We are a member of ‘Lions Clubs International’, & our motto ‘We Serve’ reflects our commitment to worldwide humanitarian problems, & is our ‘charter’.
Our ‘sight’ involvement worldwide is second to none, & those most affected are targeted by our club.
World disasters are sadly commonplace, & affect those involved with loss of life,property, & importantly – their future.
International help has been offered throughout the world – a sample is as follows:-In May’15, Lions Clubs International re-acted immediately to assist at the Nepal earthquake, when over 7000 fatalities affected the whole area – loss of life, family & property. We have always responded to requests when tsunamis, typhoons & other abnormal weather conditions occur throughout the world.At the recent flooding in the north of GB, LCIF were there offering assistance.
Godalming Lions Club annually take part in the ‘Shoe Box Collection’ in transporting boxes of necessaries to ‘Gomel’ in Belarus, the scene of a nuclear disaster many years ago. We also support an orphanage in the same area. It is now a poor & almost forgotten part of eastern Europe, & no longer newsworthy, Their need for help is still there & we continue to help.
We helped ‘Moorfields Hospital’ in setting up an eye centre clinic in ‘Korle Bu’ Ghana. Approximately 2.6 million people in West Africa are virtually blind – 75% of this is preventable. Korle Bu will be a permenant clinic & training centre but needs on-going help. We are there & helping.
We help with ‘water aid’ to allow the worlds poorest people to gain access to safe water, sanitation & hygiene education – something we take for granted.
Lions International Blood Research Appeal (LIBRA) is our districts own supported project. Based in Kings College, London, a dedicated team are solely involved in vital research into blood disorders, & improvement of pre-natal screening & the development of a patient database.
Spectacle Collection. We now have collection boxes in virtually all Doctors surgeries. These used & unwanted spectacles are collected be our members & sent (with the kind help from ‘Parcel Force’) to a warehouse near Chichester, where they are sorted& sent to Lions Club of France. Here they are graded, & sent for distribution worldwide. Why throw them away when they can be used again? For a commitment of a small percentage of our clubs income we know our involvement to worlds disasters is well spent
Our ‘Lions’ Clubs are all of the same mind – we care about people- no matter where they live. Their disasters warrant our help – that is what we are committed to do – ‘We Serve’.