ICEVI and WBU Proudly Implement

A Global Campaign on Education for All Children with Visual Impairment

The Education for All Children with Visual Impairment (EFA-VI) is a global campaign and program of the International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment (ICEVI) acting in partnership with the World Blind Union (WBU) to ensure that all girls and boys with blindness and low vision enjoy the right to education. The Campaign, launched on July 16, 2006 is focusing on children in the developing world where currently it is estimated that less than ten-percent have access to education.

The Campaign addresses three key Millennium Development Goals::

• achieving universal primary education
• promoting gender equality
• developing global partnerships for development

The Campaign works within the framework of the general and special education system of countries and initially focuses attention on awareness and demand creation for education of children with visual impairment. Provision of appropriate support in educational settings and creation of alternative settings to reach out to the un-reached are key aspects of the campaign.

The Campaign is implemented at two levels. Until 2010, a Global Task Force formulated policy decisions related to the EFA-Vi global campaign. The then GTF resolved that more micro level planning strategies had to be in place for the better implementation of the campaign and as a result four technical committees were formed. They are:

• Global Advocacy and Networking
• Media and Materials
• Programme Review
• Resource Mobilisation

These committees work in close collaboration with the Executive Director of the campaign in implementing the campaign activities. The details of terms of reference of these committees and the members can be found in the ToR section of EFA-VI. The day-to-day implementation of the campaign is the responsibility of the National Task Forces (NTF).

Capacity building of teachers and others, development of literature, production of assistive devices and operational research are other important elements of the Campaign. International funding organisations, inter-governmental organisations, corporations and foundations are partners in this global effort to create educational equity for all children with visual impairment.

The success of the campaign is measured by:

1. increased enrolment rates, 2. reduced dropout rates, 3. improved access to support services, and 4. educational achievement for children with visual impairment, on par with non-disabled children. The Global Campaign presents a unique opportunity for collaboration between the education and eye-health care communities in assuring that all children with visual impairment have access to the basic human right of “education for all”.