‘RTL – We help children’ godfather Alexander Klaws on the Ivory Coast

“I’m fighting for 14,000 African children to get their eyesight back!”

“Bořice is almost blind and still can’t be stopped by his illness. He and his family have almost nothing and still exude such a great zest for life,” explains Alexander Klaws during a visit to the slums of Abidjan, the capital of the Republic of Ivory Coast. As the sponsor of ‘RTL – We Help Children’, the singer and musical star traveled to the West African country to learn more about the difficult life of Bořice.

The 13-year-old is the seventh and youngest child in a poor cocoa farming family. His mother had to move him away because of the military and political unrest and give him birth in the country without medical help. The so-called ‘cataracts’ cloud the sight of his eyes more and more each year. His poor eyesight is the reason why he cannot go to school. “Bořice is happy, bright and a really cool boy. It is terrible to see that he is becoming an outsider due to his poor eyesight. A little routine intervention could change his life completely. But not only are there missing in the region financial means, but also the medical device. The impressions here will not leave me without a trace. They made me very thoughtful. For me it would be the greatest if the RTL donation marathon would raise enough money so that Bořice and many other affected children could get their eyesight back here, “explains Alexander Klaws, after visiting Bořice with ophthalmologist Dr. Ouattara at the Treichville University Hospital.

Together with ‘RTL – We help children’, Alexander Klaws wants to improve the eye care for children in Ivory Coast with the project ‘Lichtblicke für Kinder’. At the university teaching hospitals in Bouaké and Treichville and in the poorly oriented hospital El Rahpa, a pediatric ophthalmic unit is to be built and equipped with technical equipment and medical consumables. In addition, training measures for specialist staff are to be carried out. The education and training of medical and educational staff makes it possible for the first time to provide a professional and systematic diagnosis and treatment of visual impairments and causes of blindness in children in the Ivory Coast. Visually impaired children are taught according to their needs and thus have access to school education.

“We are very privileged in Europe and have a functioning social network – if we are sick, we can simply go to the doctor. Unfortunately, the majority of people here cannot do that. I will never forget what I have seen in Africa. If we all help and donate, 14,000 children could be operated on here in the future and finally go to school! Please help and donate in the RTL donation marathon “, appeals Alexander Klaws, who participated in the 20th RTL donation marathon on November 19th and 20th 2015 will report live in the studio about his new friend Bořice and his experiences on the Ivory Coast.

Background information on the Ivory Coast

Around 25 million people live in the country of Ivory Coast (official German name: Republic of Côte d’Ivoire), 49 percent of whom are women. 40 percent of the population are younger than 15 years. Half of the people are considered poor. Due to socio-political and military crises, this rate has grown steadily since 1985. In 2013, the country ranked 171 out of 187 on the Human Development Index. The birth mortality rate is 0.06. In rural areas, only around 45 percent of births are accompanied by trained staff, and 35 percent of children under the age of five show slow growth. Many conditions that cause blindness have to do with general health and 50 to 60 percent of blind children die early from the underlying diseases.

Ivory Coast has long been characterized by socio-political instability – a situation that culminated in the post-election crisis of 2010. An estimated 3,000 people lost their lives in the riots and around a million people were mostly displaced towards the cities. The result: rising poverty numbers and a drastic worsening of the population’s supply of water, electricity, medicine and education.

Lions Clubs International

“We serve” is the motto of Lions Clubs International (LCI). With almost 1.4 million members worldwide, LCI is one of the largest non-governmental organizations. The overarching goal is to help people to help themselves. In addition to social goals, Lions also promote cultural projects and promote international understanding, tolerance, humanity and education. Around 52,000 members in over 1,500 clubs in Germany are currently volunteering for the community and for people in need. The focus of the engagement is the promotion of children and adolescents and the global fight against avoidable blindness and poverty.

This project is for the Lions in Germany by the relief organization of the German Lions e. V., implemented in close partnership with the Christoffel blind mission. The relief organization of the Deutsche Lions e. V. coordinates and organizes international aid projects and disaster relief for the German Lions, the life skills programs Lions-Quest “Growing up” and Lions-Quest “Growing up” as well as the international Lions youth exchange. The HDL is subject to the independent control of the German Central Institute for Social Issues (DZI) and carries the DZI donation seal.

Further information: www.lions-hilfswerk.de

Christoffel Blindenmission

The Christoffel Blind Mission (CBM) is one of the largest and oldest development cooperation organizations in Germany. It has been supporting people with disabilities in developing countries for over 100 years. The role of the CBM is to improve the lives of people with disabilities, to avoid disabilities and to dismantle social barriers. The CBM currently supports 672 projects in 65 countries. More information at www.cbm.de.