This initiative was launched in 2003 and is a joint collaboration between the Saint Lucia Blind Welfare Association, the Lions Club of Saint Lucia and the visiting institute.
The 2026 Kids Insight medical mission is being celebrated for its impact.
From January 19th to February 6th, a team from the West Virginia University Eye Institute worked tirelessly alongside local health personnel to provide life- changing interventions to children and adults affected by preventable and treatable eye conditions.
This initiative was launched in 2003 and is a joint collaboration between the Saint Lucia Blind Welfare Association, the Lions Club of Saint Lucia and the visiting institute. On Thursday, February 5th, the medical team, partners and sponsors gathered at the Bay Gardens Hotel to commemorate the mission’s successful conclusion.
Director of Outreach at the West Virginia Eye Institute, Rebecca Coakley, expressed gratitude for what they have been able to accomplish. “In 2003 our life changed. At first, my mindset was ‘oh my gosh, we’re going to be able to help all these people.’ And I got to Saint Lucia and realized that I got more than I gave.
The people of Saint Lucia are beautiful; they are kind. The last twenty-three years we’ve done about over 1,500 surgeries, we’ve probably done 2,500 eye exams, about a thousand pairs of glasses that we shipped back, and we’ve seen many kids who are just low vision and blind. We are committed to this island; this is part of who I am. I still have kids, who for the first years I was here, I still get messages on Whatsapp from them. And I have been here all week and there’s one who keeps saying ‘Ms. Becky, I want to see you before you go.’ And so, it’s
always nice to see these beautiful smiling faces all grown up and being productive members of society.”
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Wellness and Nutrition, Jenny Daniel, lauded the various organizations for the impactful initiative. “Eye care of course is a very integral part of overall health. It promotes, apart from physiology in terms of how we feel, but also it helps with our emotional and psychological well-being. As such, we cannot underscore the importance of maintaining healthy eyes. What you have done over the last week is very much appreciated by the Ministry of Health. We appreciate the healthcare that has been delivered to our citizens, as well as the advice, guidance, training and all the information that has been provided to us to help us to strengthen our position to partner with you as we move into the future.”
The Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) returned as sponsors of this year’s programme with an EC$30,000 donation. CEO of the Saint Lucia Hospitality and Tourism Association, Noorani Azeez, explained that this decision was a no brainer. “This year, we were really impressed with the fact that the doctors have come down again and apart from the kids, the programme has now expanded to include adults. Given also the reality that this need for attention to children with visual impairment, and addressing the fact that it is affecting, for many of them, their ability to learn and function effectively in the classroom, created a synergy with another programme that the Tourism Enhancement Fund was financing.
And so, bringing them together expanded the programme to include another thirty-four kids from the Bocage Secondary School with whom were already engaged in another project to provide developmental support.”
He continued: “And so, tonight really serves as the culmination of this financial contribution, which will be added to a pool of contributions from other partners that will go towards the Kids Insight expenses in Saint Lucia this year. We have been so impressed with the rollout of the programme, we have been so inspired by the dedication of the doctors that are volunteering their time to provide these surgeries, that we are hoping in the near future to expand that support and maybe have multiple visits from the Kids Insight project because we understand that there is a growing pool of young people and adults in need of that corrective surgery and attention to visual impairment.”