Like many in the development sector, Kris didn’t set out to work in philanthropy – he just sort of fell into it. He had been working at EssilorLuxottica, a producer of ophthalmic lenses and eyeglasses, when a chance meeting with the director of the company’s new philanthropic arm got him involved in charitable efforts. After a few years of running pilot projects, he found himself accepting a new position within the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation Canada.

“It just resonated with me, to have that level of impact on improving somebody’s life by being able to provide better vision,” he says.

Now, he is working to prevent blindness and restore sight across the globe.

Since joining Operation Eyesight, he’s helped lead us through our involvement in the passage of Bill C-284 in Canada, a project he’d already been engaged with in his previous role. The Bill will enact the establishment of a national strategy for eye care.

Kris points out that given our 60-year history of bringing eye care to remote, rural and underserved communities, we can speak credibly on how we might approach things here at home.

On a recent trip to see some of our projects in Ghana and Zambia, Kris reflected on the insights that Canadian policymakers can take from some of our countries of work.

“Canada’s behind, in a sense, in our recognition of vision health as a priority,” he says., “I think we can learn as a country from the other nations that have come before us in prioritizing vision care nationally.”

Learn more about Bill C-284.

The post Introducing Kris Kelm, Global Director of International Programs appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

Previously our Director of African Programs, earlier this year Dr. Boateng Wiafe’s role changed. An ophthalmologist with over 25 years of experience, Dr. Bo is now our Director of Quality and Advocacy. He’s been working with Operation Eyesight since 1985, when he was recruited to work in Zambia on the Seventh Day Adventists’ church health system. In 2006, he became an employee, first as regional advisor, then regional director.

How can advocacy help eliminate avoidable blindness? “By securing the support of key players,” says Dr. Bo, “such as other eye health providers, national governments, other development partners, and corporate bodies. We advocate for increased support for eye care and the prevention of vision loss.”

In Operation Eyesight’s work to end blindness, we collaborate with ophthalmologic societies, training institutions, and international non-government organizations (INGOs). Our goal is to get them to support and implement Vision 2020, the global initiative to eliminate avoidable blindness.

In his current role, Dr. Bo represents us on various working groups and committees dedicated to ending avoidable blindness, such as chairing the Primary Eye Care working group of IAPB (International Agency for Prevention of Blindness) in Africa. He also networks with the many other eye care organizations in the countries where we work. Much of this work can involve policy at the government level.

For example, in Ghana, Operation Eyesight is working as part of a group called Human Resources in Eye Health, which is working with the government to integrate eye health expertise into a document on human resources in health care. This is important to ensure that eye care is part of government strategy on health care.

Also in Ghana, Operation Eyesight has led in the development of a National Eye Care policy, which is currently in the process of government review. This is how advocacy has a meaningful impact on the issue of avoidable blindness.

Dr. Bo is also hard at work on developing and implementing Operation Eyesight’s policy on quality. “All throughout our history of over 50 years,” says Dr. Bo, “we at Operation Eyesight have believed in and have ensured delivery of best quality treatment to all, including the poorest who cannot afford to pay for the services.” The main objective of this policy is to lay down certain guidelines, protocols, standards and best practices that should help us to deliver quality eye care to all our target communities.

For our purpose as eye care providers, achieving quality means achieving these attributes:

• Safety: patients should not be harmed by the care that is intended to help them;
• Patient-Centred: care should be based on individual needs;
• Timely: waits and delays in care should be reduced;
• Effective: care should be evidence-based;
• Efficient: best use of resources and reduced waste; and
• Equitable: care should be equal for all people, regardless of their gender, economic status, caste, religion, etc.

“I always consider myself as the one on the other side of the desk,” says Dr. Bo. “If I were the patient would I be happy with the care I am receiving? When we pursue quality single-mindedly, we almost automatically achieve the goal of reaching out to many more people, and can also achieve sustainability. When every person has access to quality, sustainable eye care, we can achieve the goal of ending avoidable blindness.”

Our thanks go out to Dr. Bo. We value his expertise and tireless work! Learn more about our African programs here.

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