NAMPA, ID—06-25-10—Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), in partnership with the Lions Clubs of Idaho Multiple District 39 and Idaho Eye Care Center, is shipping 5,000 eyeglasses to be distributed throughout Mozambique, Lesotho, and Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Henry Cardinale of the Boise Lions and MAF Advocate Tom Porter package eyeglasses for shipping to MAF programs in Africa. MAF will work with medical clinics in Africa to get the glasses to those in need.

For more than 20 years, the Lions Clubs of Idaho Multiple District 39 have been participating with the Idaho Eastern Oregon Lions Sight and Hearing Foundation in providing eyeglasses to needy patients in developing nations. And while most of the club’s efforts have been with the national initiative, this partnership with MAF and Idaho Eye Care Center was the largest effort with local entities.

"We've been doing this for many years," said Henry Cardinale, who leads the Lions Club local project and packs the glasses with his wife, Liz. "We’ve supplied some local missions with a couple of hundred in the past but never this many."

Last winter, MAF advocate Tom Porter spoke to the Boise Bench Lions Club about MAF's ministry work in remote areas of the world.  This led to discussions about how the two organizations could partner together to bring eyeglasses to those who need them.  MAF has programs or projects in 42 countries, including connections with medical agencies and health clinics serving isolated villages.

"I was recently at MAF's Lesotho, Africa program and had the privilege of delivering an initial 300 sets of eyeglasses to doctors working in the clinics there," said Porter. "It was thrilling to see a village woman receive her first pair of glasses, knowing that she could see clearly for the first time in many years."

The Lions Club works with local eye doctors, retail stores and other public facilities to place collection boxes for donors to drop off their old glasses, collecting the used glasses monthly. Dr. John Muto and Idaho Eyecare Center receive the glasses and process them through checking the prescription and labeling each pair. Though not traveling directly to Africa, Dr. Muto and his staff find the work rewarding.

"We get to see some of the pictures of the people who receive the glasses," Dr. Muto said. "The last time we did this, Tom Porter of MAF folks stopped by our office and brought us pictures. That was nice to see the actual fruits of our labor and see the glasses on some patients in Africa."

Founded in the U.S. in 1945, MAF missionary teams of aviation, communications, technology and education specialists overcome barriers in remote areas, transform lives and build God’s Kingdom by enabling the work of more than 1,000 partner organizations. With its fleet of 58 bush aircraft – including the new KODIAK – MAF serves in 42 countries across Africa, Asia, Eurasia and Latin America.

The Idaho-Eastern Oregon Lions Sight and Hearing Foundation was founded in 1969 and has several programs in addition to eye glass recycling.  The Mobile Screening Unit, Eye Bank, Personal Assistance Program, Hearing Aid Bank and Diabetes Awareness programs have been an integral part of the Idaho community for many years.