[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 2338]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              VISION 2020

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JIM DeMINT

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 11, 1999

  Mr. DeMINT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the founding members 
of the Vision 2020 Initiative and their efforts to eliminate avoidable 
blindness around the world. These members include Christian Blind 
Mission International, Inc., located in my Congressional District in 
South Carolina, Helen Keller International, the International Agency 
for the Prevention of Blindness, ORBIS International, Sight-Savers 
International and the World Health Organization.
  On February 18, 1999, these founding members, along with other like-
minded organizations, will launch Vision 2020 to eradicate avoidable 
blindness throughout the world by the year 2020. The Initiative will 
bring together government leaders, charitable organizations, business 
leaders and volunteers around the world to form a coalition united in a 
global fight against preventable blindness. Vision 2020 will focus on 
controlling disease, developing human resources and producing the 
infrastructure and technology necessary to eliminate avoidable 
blindness.
  The combined effort of every Vision 2020 organization is essential to 
this unprecedented endeavor. For this reason, I want to also pay 
tribute to the supporting members of the Vision 2020 Initiative: Al 
Noor Foundation, Asian Foundation for the Prevention of Blindness, 
Foundation Dark & Light, The International Eye Foundation, Lighthouse 
International, Nadi Al Bassar: North African Center for Sight and 
Visual Science, Operation Eyesight Universal, Organization Pour La 
Prevention De La Cecite, Perkins School for the Blind, SEVA Foundation, 
SIMAVI, World Blind Union and The American Academy of Ophthamlology.
  Mr. Speaker, I applaud Vision 2020 and the impact it will have on the 
lives of millions of blind, visually impaired, and disabled people, and 
I congratulate the Vision 2020 members for the monumental nature of 
their charitable work.

                          ____________________