Our worldwide team of locally-recruited health workers and volunteers gives us ‘insider knowledge’ of a community’s needs and helps us deliver care that is sustainable to those who need it most.

Tapobrat Bhuyan, our Program Manager in India, says an entire community or village benefits from the presence of our health workers, because they help identify those who need eye care and encourage health-seeking behaviour through education and referral to other health resources in the area.

The position of community health worker is also a unique job opportunity, especially for women. 

Tapobrat recalls an instance where he was interviewing a prospective health worker in 2013. When prompted as to why she wanted the job, the woman began to cry. 

“She told me she was working in a small school, making little money. She could not afford her children’s education. However, her excellent writing skills earned her a spot on our team, where she remains to this day,” explains Tapobrat.

“The stipend she receives helped to pay for her children’s education, and one of her daughters is now a teacher.”

Once trained, community health workers survey their local community door to door, identifying eye health conditions and referring community members for care. They also collect comprehensive data on the prevalence of eye conditions so that progress can be tracked.  

Tapobrat has worked closely with community health workers across India. He says they play a key role in connecting communities with eye health care, through referral to locally-established vision centres, which we open in convenient locations based on the needs of the community.

“Community health workers are the key link between communities and the vision centre. Often, individuals are unaware of their treatment options, or fear that it will be unaffordable,” Tapobrat says.

“However, our network of community health workers helps to create demand for these services by raising awareness about their availability.” 

Staying locally informed 

Given their connection to their own communities, Tapobrat says, community health workers can help identify and dismantle local barriers that many face in accessing eye health services.  

“They provide not just screening, but also education sessions that aim to give community members more knowledge about eye health and other topics such as maternal and child health,” Tapobrat says. “These sessions empower community members to seek health care services when needed.”

Tapobrat says our approach has also led us to consult communities in the development of educational materials, including a recent project aimed at debunking feminine eye health myths.

Working with community members and a local illustrator and writer, he and our India team are creating educational materials that reflect the community’s collective identity and address local myths about eye health. Tapobrat notes that this was the first opportunity for community members to participate in this type of workshop, and it was met with success.  

“Rather than just focusing on disease, we are telling stories, which draws more interest and helps create deeper engagement. We are able to connect on a more personal level when people see themselves reflected in the materials they are shown,” he says.

Delivering eye care that is sustainable 
 
Door-to-door surveys are only one step in ensuring a community has access to eye care. Community health workers also follow up with those who were referred to the vision centre but have not yet gone, often counselling those who are hesitant to receive treatment.  

“We are constantly learning and growing, especially regarding the importance of language. For example, often people only know the word ‘operation’ when referring to treatments for conditions like cataracts, rather than terms like ‘surgery,’” explains Tapobrat.  

“We have learned from this and now encourage a multi-faceted explanation of treatment processes,” he adds.

Part of a global team

In Ghana, community health nurses recruited to our team are provided professional education at nursing colleges. After training, they are frequently deployed to rural areas.

“Local vision projects are usually announced at a community durbar, which is a gathering often held to discuss development projects,” explains Emmanuel Kwasi Kumah, our Country Director in Ghana. “Local leaders, healthcare workers and other community members are invited to attend and provide insight.”

Emmanuel is passionate about engaging the community and addressing local needs. He notes that our community health nurses also use other local platforms to promote eye health and engage community members. 

“Given the background and training of our community health nurses, they often use techniques such as focus groups at child welfare clinics to engage mothers in discussion, provide education and learn from community members,” Emmanuel explains. 

After they receive training in primary eye care, the community health nurses begin the process of surveying the area, also utilizing a door-to-door approach to ensure they reach everyone.

Emmanuel explains that they refer those with eye conditions to district hospitals, where they are further screened by ophthalmic nurses and optometrists.  

After this initial survey, community health nurses continue to observe the community’s progress and follow up on their referrals. They also help to ensure proper post-treatment care plans are followed.  

With this knowledge and feedback, community health nurses can help to dismantle local misconceptions about eye health and further increase the uptake of eye care services at the district hospitals.   

“Community members become stakeholders in the process of eliminating avoidable blindness. Together, we help create sustainable and long-lasting change,” Emmanuel adds.   

While local barriers may vary across the regions and countries we work in, the community remains at the heart of our approach.  

From India to Ghana, and beyond, we are committed to addressing local needs and learning from those we work alongside.   

Learn more about our approach.  

The post Keeping community at the heart of our approach appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

Udhampur Block is a rural area perched high in the foothills of the Himalayas in India’s Jammu and Kashmir region. Due to the rugged terrain and roads that are often affected by flooding, it can be difficult for the people who live there to access services like eye health care. For women and girls, the barriers are even greater, as the men and boys in their families are often prioritized for health treatment.

What’s more, our research in the area revealed health myths affecting women, including those that suggest that a woman wearing eyeglasses is in poor health overall, that poor eye health is a result of sinful behaviour in a past life and that only elderly people should wear eyeglasses.

The idea behind this project is to outfit a four-wheel-drive vehicle as a fully functioning optometry clinic. An all-female heath care team will run the mobile clinic and deliver services to everyone in the project area.

We are training eight local women as Community Health Workers to do door-to-door eye screenings and to provide referrals to the Rotary Eye and ENT Hospital. They will also deliver educational sessions to women’s groups, with the goal of debunking the female eye health myths that exist in the communities.

People in the area will also be asked for their input on what kind of eye health education they would like to receive using a type of participatory research called PhotoVoice. This research will place cameras into the hands of locals, who will be asked to take pictures of things that highlight the themes of the research: activities, beliefs and circumstances of eye health.

Ninety per cent of blindness worldwide is preventable or treatable, but people in underserved areas like Udhampur Block often fall through the cracks. This project will help people get access to the eye health care they need while also addressing some of the gender inequalities related to poor vision.

This innovative project aims to:
✔ Address the barriers faced by women and girls by targeting feminine eye health myths that perpetuate inequality;
✔ Incorporate input from local women on the content of our eye health education sessions and the delivery of eye health services on an ongoing basis;
✔ Activate a Mobile Vision Centre to provide eye health services to people’s doorsteps, so that all residents, including women and girls, can avoid travel-related barriers;
✔ Make role models of local women and girls by publicly engaging them in good eye health practices; and
✔ Generate buy-in from men and boys about the importance of women’s and girls’ eye health.

We are grateful to partner with NorQuest College on this initiative, which was awarded the Fund for Innovation and Transformation by the Inter-Council Network and Global Affairs Canada. To learn more, sign up for our newsletter to receive project updates: operationeyesight.com/signup

The post All-female healthcare team to run mobile vision clinic in northern India appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

Targeting eye health alone isn’t enough to eliminate avoidable blindness; if other health care needs aren’t met, there will still be people suffering from vision problems or other conditions. For example, vitamin A deficiency results in preventable childhood blindness, and increases the risk of death from common childhood illnesses such as diarrhea.

With your help, we’re enabling poor communities to lead healthier and more productive lives. Not only do we educate target communities about eye health, but we also address their essential health care needs. Our trained community health workers educate communities about eye health and general health (such as the importance of vitamin A) and create awareness of the eye care services available in or around the community. They also collaborate with health care staff to deliver services such as immunizations.

We’re always proud to report the number of sight-restoring cataract surgeries performed or prescription eyeglasses dispensed, but the pinnacle of our work is the healthy communities that are empowered to lead happy and productive lives. For example, we’ve declared 1,020 villages as avoidable blindness-free. In these villages, mortality rates have dropped significantly and school enrollment rates have increased.

Thanks to YOU, entire communities have been transformed!

There are still thousands of communities that need your help! Please donate today to prevent blindness and restore sight to some of the most vulnerable people in Africa and Asia.

The post With healthy eyes, entire communities are thriving because of YOU! appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

Rathnamma and Venkitaraman have been each other’s support ever since they migrated to Bangalore, India to work as construction labourers. Despite 40 years of hard work, the couple was only able to accumulate a small amount of savings. And that savings was quickly used after Venkitaram’s sight faded, until he eventually went blind. Without his additional income, the couple struggled every day. Rathnamma had no choice but to become the sole breadwinner for them both.

If that wasn’t already challenging enough, Rathnamma’s vision also started to fade. She feared a dark and difficult future if she lost her sight… If she went blind too, how would she and Venkitaram survive?

As her vision faded more and more, Rathnamma was forced to cut back at work, putting extra financial strain on her household.

Rathnamma knew she needed help. She wanted to go to one of the nearby hospitals to seek treatment, but she kept quiet for two years, worried she wouldn’t be able to afford the cost.  

Rathnamma was on the verge of losing her sight, and her hope for the future was running out.

But one day everything changed! Operation Eyesight-trained community health workers visited the family during a community outreach program. When they reached the couple’s home, they told Rathnamma they were there to screen the family for eye health issues. They immediately recognized that Rathnamma ‘s sight was fading, and they referred her to a vision centre where she was diagnosed with cataracts. From there, she was referred to our partner hospital for cataract surgeries – free of charge!

Soon after, Rathnamma underwent sight-restoring eye surgery. Today she is able to see clearly. Now she’s back at work and earning more to support her little family!

And that’s not all. Although Vankitaraman had incurable blindness, the community health workers taught him mobility skills to get around. They trained him to walk around with a long cane to navigate his surroundings. As a result, Venkitaraman no longer needs to sit idle at home. Today he takes care of the household chores while Rathnamma works outside.

And the health workers didn’t stop there. Knowing the couple was struggling financially, they helped them apply for disability pensions from the government. Now they have an additional income each month that takes the edge off their financial stress!

The couple remembers the community health workers fondly. Thanks to all the help they received, Venkitaraman and Rathnamma were able to escape a terrible fate, and they have hope for a brighter future. 

And it’s all because to people like you! Through the support of donors like you, we are able to bring sustainable changes to the lives of so many across South Asia and Africa. Thanks to you, thousands of families have access to the quality eye care services they need! There are still so many who need your help. Please make a donation and give the gift of hope to more families today.

The post Together from Darkness to Light appeared first on Operation Eyesight.