President Danny Faure received a large delegation of Lions Club International headed by the President of Lions Clubs International, Chancellor Bob Corlew, yesterday at State House. They were accompanied by members of the Lions Club of Seychelles.
The President was pleased to be able to welcome them to Seychelles and praised the work of the Lions Club in Seychelles, which he said has touched the heart of many people and has been extremely visible and hardworking.
"I really have a lot of admiration for all the leaders who have led the Lions Club of Seychelles. I have a lot of admiration for the volunteers who make the time, a lot of them are professionals in their work. They go the extra mile to sacrifice themselves for what they believe in and here in Seychelles they are all true believers of the Lions Club. In your presence, I want to reiterate what I have told them on many occasions; they are very solid and the real guardians of what the International Lions Club advocates for its Clubs everywhere across the globe. They are the real representatives of what you believe in this country. I would like to thank you and the organization for all the support that we receive. They can go the extra miles, but without the international support and government's commitment, we won't be able to achieve what collectively we believe in," said President Faure during the meeting.
Chancellor Corlew and his delegation spoke to the President about the successes of the Lions Club International and that of the Lions Club Seychelles. They briefed the President about their local on-going programmes particularly the school sight-screening and donation of glasses to those with eyesight deficiencies, blindness prevention, and cataract removal. They also briefed the President on some of the ideas they have for the future.
At the international level, Chancellor Corlew explained that the Lions Club International continues to help those affected by natural disasters, aids humanitarian efforts to vaccinate children, carries out diabetes prevention programmes and youth programmes, and promotes world peace.
President Faure commended them for the humanitarian programmes they are doing across the world which he said is in line with the charters of the United Nations. He congratulated them as the organisation celebrates its 100th anniversary and extend his support and that of the government of Seychelles, as they continue to offer humanitarian service.
"Lions Club is the largest service organization in the world and we have a significant presence here in Seychelles. We have three large clubs here in Seychelles and we hope to expand the Lions Club presence next year. We are hopeful that Lions can continue to do more work particularly in the area of vision, and we are hoping to work together with the government and establish a hospital for the benefit of all the citizens of Seychelles, particularly for those who are unable to pay financially. We also envision a programme to help combat the influence of drugs, because drugs is a problem in many places in the world and we want to do our best to help to combat the drugs issue here. I am so impressed with the Lions Club here in Seychelles who are working so hard, that is such a positive sign," said Chancellor Corlew in an interview with the press following the meeting.
Also present at the meeting was the Diplomatic Advisor in the Office of the President, Ambassador Callixte D'offay, members of Lions Clubs from various countries, as well as several members from Lions Club Seychelles.