The Rotary Club of Amman Citadel launched its "Vision of Hope" project today at the Specialized Eye Hospital in Amman, where the first five patients underwent cataract surgery. It is the club's first Global Grant in nearly fifteen years of service.
The project carries the slogan "Light returns… and hope is renewed," and its name is deliberate — in Arabic, رؤية means both eyesight and aspiration. For people who have been losing their sight to cataracts, often for years, restoring one tends to restore the other.
"Today a dream that was once shared by generations of our club has become a reality," President Wesam told members. "This is a milestone for the entire Citadel family and I'm truly grateful to every member of our club. On a personal level I have always dreamed of making a real and meaningful difference in our community. Today, through Citadel, that dream became a reality."
For PDG Bashar, the day carried the weight of the club's whole history. "Today, after nearly fifteen years since our club's establishment, I feel deeply honored to witness the birth of our very first Global Grant and to see its impact already on the ground," he said. "This day reminded us of the true purpose we signed up for, and why we proudly call ourselves Rotarians. A Global Grant was once a dream shared by every president who led our club, and today it has become a reality."
Vision of Hope is funded through a Global Grant from The Rotary Foundation. The international partner is District 1830, and the project was made possible by generous contributions from the Rotary Clubs of Aalen-Heidenheim, Bietigheim-Vaihingen, and Wertheim in Germany, alongside the Rotary Clubs of Amman Jerash and Amman Cosmopolitan, and DGN Maher Al-Khaiyat.
The launch day began early. Club members set up a reception desk in the hospital lobby and spent the morning welcoming patients, explaining the process, and helping them complete the registration and consent forms. Many patients had come with a family member; some needed help reading the paperwork, and volunteers sat with them one by one until everything was in order.
What the project covers is straightforward: the cost of the surgery itself, three months of post-operative follow-up visits, and the medication patients need afterwards. Nothing is asked of the patient. Eligibility is verified with the support of national partners including the National Aid Fund and the Ministry of Social Development, along with UNRWA and UNHCR, so that the surgeries reach the families who need them most.
The Rotary Club of Amman Citadel handles the coordination and community side of the work. The medical care is entirely in the hands of the Specialized Eye Hospital team, whose surgeons and staff made the first day run smoothly.
Cataracts remain one of the leading causes of avoidable blindness, and the surgery that treats them is short, safe, and well established. The barrier is almost never medical — it is cost. That is the gap Vision of Hope was built to close.
Today's five patients are the first of many. More surgery days are already being scheduled, and the club will continue sharing updates as the project moves forward.
