Visio International is an NGO in the Netherlands with extensive expertise, knowledge and innovation in blind and partially sighted people. Their core mandate is:

• Rehabilitation and Advisory Services
• Residential and Day Care Services
• Education

In 2010, Visio International was in Ghana to support the capacity building of teacher of the visually Impaired in all the then 10 Regions. This project lasted for 3 years. After which the intervention came to an end. The teachers trained at the Regional level were supposed to cascade the training in the various districts of the Regions.

Having supported the training for the district officials by the Master trainers, the district level training at the school level was supposed to be funded by the district directorates. This was however not very successful due to inadequate funds from the directorates to empower the district trainers.

However, in 2016, Visio came to Ghana for a preparatory stakeholder meeting after the evaluation of the previous teacher training project. The participants discussed the gap and need for focused activities for children between 0 and 6 years old, with a visual impairment (VI), In Ghana. It was decided the programme would focus on that target group. Two main issues were to be addressed:

1. Many of the VI problems are related to preventable illnesses; early detection is crucial.

 2. Many children with a VI develop delays in development resulting in delay in school admission and low school results.

The key focus of Phase I was Early Childhood Development of Ghanaian children from 0-6 years, which includes orientation & mobility, awareness, screening, assessment & referral and education. It was implemented in 7 districts in various regions. All these district had special educational services for Children with Vision Impairment in place. The programme was guided by a Theory of Change, which focussed on empowerment of CwVI and their parent/caregivers, establishment of quality services for education, eye health and social protection, and accessibility and affordability of service delivery for persons with a vision impairment.

Although Phase I achieved many tangible result, particularly in the area of quality service provision, much work still remains to be done to raise awareness in communities and society at large about issues relating to vision impairment. The environment in which CwVI grow up is often not very conducive and full of stigma, taboo and discriminatory practices. Often the children themselves lack self-confidence and self-esteem and do not have a voice to speak out for themselves. In addition, Government, despite many good intentions, often fails to deliver the services needed and promised by CwVI and falls short in implementation of existing policies and legislation. And, last but not least, CwVI often do not receive the care they need in their families, due to lack of knowledge, but also because of stigma, taboo and fear of exclusion.

Phase II will build on the results achieved in Phase I but make some changes to address the key issues identified above. Phase II will:

1. Continue operations in the same 7 districts. These are Wa Municipal (Upper West Region), Tano South (Ahafo Region), Hohoe Municipal, North Tongu, Central Tongu (all three in Volta Region), Akuapem (Eastern Region), and Cape Coast Metropolitan (Central Region)
2. Focus on CwVI aged 0-15. This allows for meaningful empowerment activities targeting adolescents, which lead to CwVI building self-confidence, self-esteem, and speaking out for their rights for themselves.
3. Put emphasis on awareness raising in society. To do so HODVIC will include civil society organisations such as Blind Sparks and Ghana Blind Union much more explicitly, and make effective use of media, including press, radio and TV.
4. Boost lobby and advocacy initiatives to enhance the attention given to vision impairment, to ensure that Government starts delivering on its promises regarding persons with a disability, and to promote a conducive and supportive environment in which CwVI can realise their full potential. L&A initiatives will be supported both at national and sub-national level.
5. Involve CwVI in all aspects of the programme, not only as beneficiaries, but also as critical individuals with a say in the way HODVIC is being implemented. Adolescent CwVI will structurally part of the bi-annual stakeholder meetings and be involved in activities for monitoring and evaluation.
6. Directly support CwVI and their caregivers in terms of assistive devices, but also moral and psychological support.
7. Improve greatly on results management. Programme choices will be based on evidence, and much more efforts will be made to track progress, harvest results, and share knowledge. A detailed M&E framework will be established during the first six months of implementation.