Preeti also has big dreams for her family, who live together in a remote village in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

“I am passionate about my studies and dream of elevating my family out of poverty,” she says.

Preeti is also responsible for hauling drinking water from a nearby pond. One day while fetching water, she slipped and fell in a thorny bush, injuring her eye. Within a few days, her eye became red and swollen. Despite receiving eye drops from a local pharmacy, a month later her vision in her wounded eye had decreased dramatically, making even routine chores difficult. At school, Preeti struggled to participate in class and play with other kids.

A door-to-door eye health screening in her area eventually brought two community health volunteers to the family’s doorstep. Upon examination, the volunteers told Preeti and her father that she might have a cataract. On the volunteers’ advice, Preeti’s father took her to our nearby partner hospital, the Rotary Eye and ENT Hospital in Udhampur, where doctors diagnosed her with a traumatic cataract.

“I was worried about the cost of the treatment and was almost in tears,” her father says. “But I was relieved when the hospital told me that Preeti would undergo free surgery.”

Shortly after her operation, Preeti regained her vision.

“Operation Eyesight’s work began in India 60 years ago. In that time, we have built in-roads in communities and brought access to eye health care,” explains Tapobrat Bhuyan, our local program manager. “Vision loss of one family member can be devastating for the whole family.”

For Preeti, her restored sight has been life changing for her entire family.

“Our family has found a new life,” explains Preeti’s father. “The villagers have told her she is a very cheerful child and very active.”

Preeti’s future is now full of hope, made possible through the generosity of our donors. Thank you!

By making a donation today, you can help transform the life of a child like Preeti.

The post Help for the whole family appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

“I remember my mother used to donate her old glasses to Operation Eyesight. She knew that within a few months her gift would have an immediate impact in someone’s life,” Helen recalls. “I’ve continued to support Operation Eyesight for that very same reason.”

Helen lost her mom 15 years ago, but giving to Operation Eyesight is a mother-daughter bond that’s now spanned more than two decades.

Although we no longer collect used eyeglasses, providing people with new prescription eyeglasses is still a critical part of our work, made possible through monetary gifts from donors like Helen. Helen says supporting Operation Eyesight still makes sense after all these years, because of the tangible benefits it brings in the lives of individuals and communities.

“The work Operation Eyesight does has evolved over time,” she adds. “But as an annual donor, it’s satisfying to know that, by the end of the year, several people will have benefited.”

Click here to become a donor today and join Helen and with our global community of donors.

Thank you, Helen and Betty, for your years of support!

The post Like mother, like daughter appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

“For two decades, our entire family has come together each year for a shinny hockey game and fundraiser dinner,” says Linda Jenkyns, daughter of our founder Art Jenkyns. “It’s great to see the little ones growing up and becoming part of it.”

Three generations of the Jenkyns clan – including 11 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren – gather to raise money for the organization Art and Una Jenkyns created.

Art and Una’s son, Jim, says that Operation Eyesight has become a legacy for the entire family.

“Our parents modelled for us the importance of helping others,” he says. “We call it our ‘family culture,’ and it’s an honour to continue this work.”

As children, Jim, Linda and their three other siblings watched their parents lead Operation Eyesight. Six decades later, they say our organization has grown into something that would make their father proud.

“Dad’s whole life was service to others, from a very early age. He was making the world a better place for everyone, especially those who are underprivileged,” says Linda. “But he certainly didn’t expect it would last 60 years.”

Linda says there are many organizations people can choose to support, but she says Operation Eyesight has so many long-time supporters – and new donors as well – because we have stayed true to Art’s vision.

“I wonder how Dad would feel, now that others have taken on his vision and continued it with the same integrity,” Linda adds.

Six decades is a lifetime, and in that time Linda says the world has changed, and so has Operation Eyesight.

“It’s different from fundraising back in the 60s, when everything was dependent on speaking engagements,” Linda explains. “Today, there’s social media, and the way to get the word out is totally different and keeps changing.”

Jim agrees.

“Dad just wanted to do his part and see other people get involved,” he adds. “That’s what donors are doing today. It’s a tribute to our dad and mom.”

Thank you, Linda, Jim and your entire family, for your dedicated and passionate support over all these years! Visit operationeyesight.com/60years to learn more about our 60-year history.

The post A family culture… in service to others appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

I then travelled to Zambia, where I attended the opening of a new vision centre in Kapiri Mposhi district. I also attended kickoff celebrations for the construction of the new Eye Unit at Kanyama General Hospital, where we are supporting both infrastructure development and staff training.

Brick and mortar facilities are just pieces of a much larger puzzle. Many people had to come together to make these events possible – from the community health volunteers who bring eye health care to people’s front doors, to the teams training healthcare staff in primary eye care, to the frontline staff providing care, to the community members who are adopting eye-healthy behaviours and seeking care when they need it. It truly is a team effort, and it was inspiring to see our global community come together.

For six decades, donors like you have been a key part of our global community and have helped projects like these come alive.

The communities and partners I visited used different languages, but the message was the same: thank you! It speaks to the lives that we are transforming, together.

The post Global community in action appeared first on Operation Eyesight.