Jeddah The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development (ISFD) have collaborated with the National Eye Health Program (PNSO) to launch the 2nd phase (Generation II) of the alliance to Fight Avoidable Blindness (AFAB) by conducting two cataract surgeries campaigns in the cities of Diffa and Magaria in Niger. Under these campaigns, financed by the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), 8,001 patients have been given vision screening and 1,029 cataract treatment surgeries conducted in addition to providing post-surgical monitoring and visits to patients. These campaigns are a part of a continued commitment to performing 100,000 surgeries in the next five years under the IsDB’s Regional Cooperation and Integration Department initiative. Dr. Amza Abdou of National Coordinator of the Eye Health Program (PNSO) in Niger, has expressed thanks and gratitude to IsDB Group and BADEA for the consistent efforts made in supporting Niger government to fighting avoidable blindness and improving the quality of life of persons with visual disability. "We wish that this exemplary south-south cooperation will remain sustainable, as the proportion of the population suffering from blindness remains high in Niger'', he added. To build on the success of the First Generation, the IsDB and the ISFD have decided to introduce the Second Generation of the Alliance that aims to benefit 13 IsDB Member Countries, namely Burkina Faso, Chad, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Somalia, and Togo. --SPA 15:37 LOCAL TIME 12:37 GMT 0020 www.spa.gov.sa/w1584346