Unfortunately, she struggled with her studies over the last year because she was having problems with her eyesight. In addition to affecting her studies, it is also impacted her daily life and made things like household activities and supporting her uncle in his business difficult. Unable to concentrate on her studies for very long without getting a terrible headache, her dreams to attend university seemed out of reach.

Vaishali and her family knew that her struggles were due to vision impairment, but they didn’t know of any eye health facilities in their area, so they had nowhere to turn to for help. They worried that without treatment for her vision problems, her dream of attending university might not be possible.

Fortunately, the family was visited by Monika, a community health worker from our partner Sewa Sadan Eye Hospital in Bairagarh, Bhopal. She was doing routine door-to-door eye screenings in the village as part of our community-based eye health initiative. Through the screening done by Monica, Vaishali learned that she had refractive error in both eyes. Simply put, she needed eyeglasses.

Monika told the family about a vision centre nearby and advised her to go there and get her eyes tested by an optometrist. She visited the vision centre with her family, and they felt very hopeful after they were counselled by the vision technician. During her visit she received a comprehensive eye check-up and a pair of prescription eyeglasses.

With her vision corrected, Vaishali’s dreams are now back on track. The eyeglasses are giving her a chance for a brighter future, thanks to donors like you.

Please donate today to help more people like Vaishali realize their dreams.     

The post Eyeglasses help makes dreams a reality appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

Moving full steam ahead, The Rift Valley Prevention of Blindness Project started its fourth and final year. Supported by our partner Standard Chartered Bank’s Seeing is Believing, our impact was strong. We’ve treated 60,706 people for various eye conditions so far.

Our Kenya Trachoma Elimination Project, supported by our partner Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust was wildly successful last year. In fact, the active search for TT (trachomatous trichiasis) patients was halted mid-2017 because the number of patients with TT decreased. We’re making progress!

This is partly due to our mass distributions of antibiotics. After another distribution, 2017 brought us within blinking distance of achieving our goal of less than one person with TT in a population of 1,000. An impact assessment will be conducted in 2018.

Eliminating trachoma through SAFE:

A World Health Organization strategy to educate people on improved sanitation habits that help reduce serious illness and trachoma (eye infection).

The project is based in Narok County where active trachoma is high. In 2017 we introduced face washing and hygiene education into 15 schools. Each student received a face-washing kit.

Our trained community health workers educated people in the villages where the schools are located on the importance of facial cleanliness and good hygiene. Particular focus was given to mothers of children under nine.

In addition to facial cleanliness, we held open forums on environmental improvement. These forums encourage villagers to take responsibility for their community sanitation. Empowered through education, we saw various communities initiate the building of 101 latrines in 2017. With each latrine, washing stations are built at various points along the structures.

Supported by Standard Chartered Bank’s Seeing is Believing initiative, mid2017 saw the start of our Kirinyaga Community Eye Health Project. With our partner Kerugoya County Referral Hospital we targeted 150 villages to educate community members on the importance of eye health care.

Thanks to our donors and partners, Kenya had a tremendous year.

The post Another Great Year in Kenya, Thanks to You! appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

He’s a seventh-grade student, but he could barely read or write. Three years ago, he was identified as having severe visual impairment when a vision screening camp was held in his village. But Evans never did receive treatment because his grandmother couldn’t afford the cost.

“Each year my vision got worse,” explained Evans. “I was worried I would go completely blind, and I worried what would happen if my grandmother were to pass away. I would have no way of taking care of myself.”

Evans could barely see at all. And because of it, he had to depend on his grandmother for help doing most daily tasks.

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“I couldn’t read or write, so I didn’t do well in school, and I wasn’t able to play with my friends. At home I could barely do anything once the sun went down. I could only walk around in areas of the house that I knew well.” 

Fortunately, Evans’ school was part of a vision screening program being conducted by an ophthalmic nurse from Saltpond Government Hospital, one of Operation Eyesight’s partner hospitals. After screening Evans, the nurse diagnosed him with retinitis pigmentosa and referred him to the hospital for treatment.

“I wasn’t afraid to get treated. I just wanted to see clearly, so I was eager to go to the hospital,” said Evans.

And that’s when everything changed!

Evans’ teacher accompanied him to the hospital. There, he was thoroughly examined and prescribed prescription eyeglasses. Thanks to the generosity of people like you, Evans received a new pair of custom-fitted eyeglasses free of charge!

After two years of not being able to read or write, a pair of prescription eyeglasses has changed Evans’ life.

“Now I can take notes from my friend’s notebooks, and I can read. My vision is better now, and I can do things for myself again. I am very grateful to everyone who has helped me – to the ophthalmic nurse, the hospital and the kind people in Canada. Thank you for everything you have given me!”

There are many other teens like Evans who need your help. Please donate to our prescription eyeglasses program today and give the gift of life in focus – For All The World To See!

The post A life is now in focus, thanks to you! appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

During September, Aly will be visiting our project countries to meet with our international team and participate in 30 days of jam-packed activities, including inaugurating a vision centre, visiting an avoidable blindness-free village, touring some of our partner hospitals and participating in meetings with our staff, partners and eye health colleagues.

With so much ahead, we’re eager to follow Aly’s travels on social media, as he’ll be tweeting live updates when he can. Follow him on Twitter to stay up-to-date!

Aly will be representing our Canadian team and donors during his travels. “This trip is an opportunity for me to communicate the gratitude of our Calgary team and all our donors to our international teams for the work they do,” he says. “And also to connect our Calgary team with our international teams and strengthen the bonds between us.”

But this trip won’t just be business for Aly. “On a personal level, I’m representing my family. This is a chance for my parents and grandparents to give back to our home country through me. I haven’t been back to East Africa since moving to Edmonton with my family as refugees when I was two years old.” Aly says he’ll be carrying his family history with him as he sets foot on home soil for the first time in years, and it will be an emotional return for him.

We asked Aly what he hopes to leave behind and what he hopes to bring back to Canada…

“What I hope to leave with our international teams is a connection to me, to our Calgary office, so they know that we’re more than just distant names and titles. There’s a fire we share, and we can relate to each other through our mutual passion. 

What I hope to gain and bring back is the ability to absorb my experience and harness it as motivation for myself and for our Calgary office, our supporters and volunteers. I want to inspire them, so they know that together we can achieve more – do more to make our mission to eliminate avoidable blindness a reality.”

Aly is looking forward to seeing our work first-hand for the first time.

“I’ll be experiencing the outcomes of the work we do, seeing the results of our team’s hard work and dedication, and seeing the work that our donors have made possible. I want to empower our international staff, and I hope to let them know that they have my full support to continue doing the work they’re doing.

I also want to build new partnerships and strengthen existing partnerships. I want to let the world know that Operation Eyesight is making serious strides towards accomplishing our mission. And to do that, I’m going to challenge our stakeholders – our allies, volunteers, donors – to rally behind us and scale up with us, so we can reach more people in need and make an even greater impact.”

Is this outside of Aly’s comfort zone? He says that yes, it absolutely is – but that’s just how he wants it.

“I want to get a little uncomfortable. I grew up with a western perspective, so at times I’m going to be uncomfortable with what I see and hear and smell. It will all be unfamiliar and different. Communicating will be difficult, which means I’m going to be vulnerable. It will be an emotional time, and I need to be okay with that.”

We wish Aly all the best on his travels. There will be so much we can learn from his experience, and we’re all looking forward to hearing his stories and sharing them with you, our supporters.

Stay tuned to our blog and social media for more updates from Aly throughout September. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter so you don’t miss an update.

The post Aly’s emotional journey begins appeared first on Operation Eyesight.