International programmes

Visio International develops programmes in low- and middle-income countries that have a relatively well-functioning support system for visually impaired people, and where our knowledge and expertise can make a real difference to their lives.

We are currently working in Botswana, Egypt, Ghana, South Africa, Uganda and the West Bank of the Palestinian Territories. Our programmes mainly target children and young people.

In each country, we collaborate with a trusted local partner that coordinates and organizes programme activities. This local partner may engage in strategic partnerships with government and non-government organizations, interest and lobbying groups to implement activities and achieve results.

We commit financial and technical support and management for three years at a time. We aim to support a country programme for at least 9-15 years, depending on the progress made and funding available.

Our programmes remain fairly stable over time. The number of programmes is limited by the long-term commitments we make, the Visio personnel we can deploy for support, and the funding available.

Theory of change

We support people with visual impairments to be fully included in society. Our approach has three components:

• Empowerment means visually impaired people can lead independent lives, and can stand up for their rights together with their families and caregivers. For example, we encourage parents to see the potential their visually impaired child has, and make sure the child goes to school and gets the support he or she needs. 
• Quality of services means supporting professionals to improve the services they provide, such as education, eye health and social support. 
• Access to affordable services means making sure that people can get the information and services they need. This includes lobbying decision-makers to improve the availability of services, and increasing awareness of visual impairment and how to cope with it.