Sightsavers To Lead The Field And Bring First Of Its Kind Campaign To Ireland

Sightsavers Ireland, in partnership with LIKECHARITY and JCDecaux, is leading the field in experiential fundraising and brings an innovative, interactive campaign never before seen in Ireland to the streets of Galway city this August. From 10^th – 24^th August the Missed Moments campaign, proudly supported by Supermac’s, is seeking to save the sight of 250,000 people living in some of the world’s poorest countries and protect them from a lifetime of missed moments, the equivalent of the population of Galway city and county. Missed Moments will encourage people to reflect on the impact visual impairment could have on their lives and the special moments they might miss. For more information about the campaign which was launched by campaign ambassador Síle Seoige visit www.sightsavers.ie

As we move to a cashless society, charities need to adapt to ensure they maintain donor support. For the Missed Moments campaign, Sightsavers, working with LIKECHARITY and JCDecaux, has developed an experiential donation opportunity which fully immerses people in the cause and allows them to instantly see the difference their donation will make. Located in Eyre Square Shopping Centre will be an innovative and interactive Digital Retail Display unit (digital video pod), the very first time this technology has been used in Ireland.

The Digital Retail Display has been modified to allow donors tap a debit or credit card, donate just €2 and instantly see how their simple action and small gift helps to give a real person back their sight. A short video introduces them to someone living with visual impairment and seeking a sight-saving operation, then they are immersed in their journey from darkness to sight, and ending with the moment their bandages are removed and they can see again. One of these is Winesi from Malawi whose missed moment was seeing the face of his wife which he hadn’t seen in 12 years!

Emma Kilkenny Wilson, Head of Individual Giving Fundraising & Marketing Sightsavers Ireland, said “At Sightsavers we constantly seek new ways to engage people with the valuable work Sightsavers carries out in developing countries. It’s fantastic to work with LIKECHARITY and JCDecaux to bring this innovative technology to Ireland for the first time, and also to have the Missed Moments campaign supported by Supermac’s, one of Ireland’s most recognisable businesses. We expect the campaign to be a huge success and the money raised will allow us to provide sight-saving operations and deliver treatments.”

Pat McDonagh of Supermac’s said: “As a proud Galway business we are delighted to support Sightsavers Ireland with its new Missed Moments campaign. It came as no surprise when Sightsavers told me that Galway is the home of some of the charity’s most generous and committed supporters, who have helped saved the sight of millions of people in developing countries over the years. I expect the Missed Moments campaign will be a great success and am looking forward to donating at the digital pod in Eyre Square Shopping Centre and see how my €2 can help.”

Elsewhere the campaign will feature digital advertising billboards around Eyre Square featuring iconic moments from Galway history and culture which will encourage Galwegians to reflect on the moments they might have missed in their lives due to preventable sight loss. Maybe it’s the historic sight of David Burke lifting the Liam McCarthy Cup after Galway’s first Senior All-Ireland Hurling Title in twenty-nine long years, or the iconic view you see walking along the beautiful promenade in Salthill. Galway Bay FM will also be supporting the campaign with an on air competition, advertising and through social media channels.

John Kyne, LIKECHARITY CEO, said: “LIKECHARITY is honored to be part of this innovative experiential fundraising campaign – the first of it’s kind in Ireland. As we rapidly transition to a cashless society, we’re excited by the opportunities presented by new systems that can visually or audibly show people why their support is crucial and allow us to give that support in an instant. This is a fantastic vehicle for important storytelling and public engagement being led by Sightsavers here in Ireland.”

Tony O’Flanagan, Marketing Director of JCDecaux Ireland, commented: “Innovation really pushes the creative possibilities of outdoor advertising. JCDecaux are excited to be working with Sightsavers and LIKECHARITY on this upcoming Missed Moments campaign in what is set to be a media first in Ireland – using contactless technology to amplify their campaign on our digital retail network.”

A staggering 253 million people around the world are visually impaired, of which 36 million are living with blindness. It’s a sad and startling fact that 75% of this is avoidable. A small donation is so powerful – when their sight is restored, a real person has the chance to get back to work, school and get their independence back. This little donation can go such a long way in a developing country – just 17 cent can protect someone against the blinding and painful disease trachoma, while €32 pays for a cataract operation to restore someone’s sight and freedom. €12,500 would allow Sightsavers to provide a river blindness treatment to 250,000 people, while €42,500 would provide a trachoma treatment to 250,000 people, both the equivalent to protecting the whole population of Galway city and county!