When Fassikaw was in first grade, he began to have trouble seeing objects far away. Reading books and the blackboard became difficult. Sitting in the middle or back of the classroom, he often had to borrow his classmates’ exercise books to copy notes. 

At home, reading took him a long time. His eyes often watered, and his grades began to drop. More than his grades, his parents worried about his worsening vision and the way it was affecting his mood and sleep. Fassikaw even spoke about leaving school. 

Around this time, his family learned about our School Eye Health Program run in partnership with Partners in Education Ethiopia. The program offers free diagnosis and eyeglasses to students in need. 

After hearing this, his family went to the hospital and Fassikaw’s eyes were checked. At the hospital, tests revealed that Fassikaw’s vision required strong corrective lenses: +15.00 for his left eye and +16.00 for his right. Thanks to our partners and generous donors, he received the eyeglasses at no cost. 

Today, Fassikaw can read easily from anywhere in the classroom. At home, he reads without headaches or watery eyes. His grades have improved, and his class ranking has risen from 27^th to 21^st, with steady progress. 

His father says their son is now happy and confident, and the family can sleep without worry. “With God’s help, we hope you will never have to worry about anything,” he says with gratitude. 

Did you know?
Bringing eye health care to students is an investment in their education and their future. Globally, 450 million children have an eye condition that requires treatment; of these, 448 million have refractive errors that only require eye exams and eyeglasses (Source: IAPB Vision Atlas – Child Eye Health). The cost of eyeglasses in our countries of work is approximately C$20. 

By providing eyeglasses through school-based eye health programs, we can transform the lives of children like Fassikaw, helping them see clearly, succeed in school and embrace a brighter future. Give the Gift of Sight today.  

Our Work in Ethiopia 
Since beginning our work in Ethiopia in 2018, we’ve made significant strides toward preventing avoidable vision loss. In 2024, our programs reached more than 33,424 people through eye health screenings, treatment, training and community outreach. From surveying over 14,000 residents in Debre Work to training frontline workers and teachers, screening students and providing eyeglasses, we are building lasting capacity for quality eye care. Read more about our work in Ethiopia in our 2024 Annual Report. Download it here. 

The post Eyeglasses bring hope and better grades to Fassikaw   appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

Raj and his wife, Ramya, acted quickly and took Priyansh to a local doctor who diagnosed him with a tumor. After more consultations, the family was advised to get treatment at the Operation Eyesight Universal Institute for Eye Cancer at the L V Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad, India.

The Operation Eyesight Universal Institute for Eye Cancer was made possible by the generous gift of an anonymous Canadian family, and through our longtime collaboration with the renowned eye hospital. Since 2015, the Institute has provided comprehensive treatment for the entire range of ophthalmic tumors in both adults and children. It is one of just a handful of centres in the world that specializes in this type of treatment.

Once he arrived at the Institute, Pryiansh was examined by an ophthalmologist who diagnosed him with fourth-grade retinoblastoma, a severe form of eye cancer that largely affects very young children.

With the level of danger the cancer presented, the doctor recommended that the affected eye be surgically removed. Although heartbroken by the diagnosis, the family knew surgery was their only hope to save their son. The operation was a success, and Priyansh’s outlook improved, but the journey was far from over. Following the surgery, Priyansh underwent grueling chemotherapy sessions to make sure there were no remaining cancer cells. The little boy was left weakened and frail, but kept his spirits up during treatment.

Due to the demands of Priyansh’s treatment, Raj, who works as a taxi driver, had to take time off work. In order to help free the family from the financial burden caused by Priyansh’s diagnosis, the L V Prasad Eye Institute was able to offer the treatment completely free of charge, allowing the family to focus on recovery.

Today, Priyansh is stable, and his parents are extremely grateful for the care he received.

To date, the Operation Eyesight Universal Institute for Eye Cancer has identified and treated 18,515 patients for eye cancer.

With special thanks to the L V Prasad Eye Institute, who originally reported this story.

The post Early detection gives little boy a second chance at life appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

The focus on child eye health highlighted the impact of vision on education and future livelihoods. Vision issues impact education significantly, new research from the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness shows. The research states that children with poor vision learn half of what those with good vision do, while correcting a child’s vision at school increases their lifelong earnings by up to 78 per cent.

Not only did our team ramp up eye screenings in our school health programs, our country teams also engaged in community health care, hospital strengthening, integration of eye health care in primary health care, and advocacy at the national and local levels by attending meetings and press events.

See photos from initiatives held in honour of World Sight Day below!

Meeting Eye Health Care Needs of Children Outside of School

We used the lead up to World Sight Day to highlight not only school eye health programs but also programs that reach all children. Through our community health care model, we reach the entire family through door-to-door surveys and eye screenings. Those with sight issues are referred to local vision centres or hospitals for further care. When all cases of avoidable vision loss are addressed, and ongoing eye health care is in place, villages are declared as being avoidable blindness-free. In September on Aahotguri River Island in Majuli District, Assam, India, 20 villages received this declaration. See our work in this region in this video.

Through hospital strengthening and integration of eye health care into primary health care, we worked to support premature infants, who are at high risk of Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP), a leading cause of blindness in children. When ROP is detected and treated early, it can prevent lifelong blindness. In September, in Bijnor District, India, our partner C. L. Gupta Eye Institute trained 35 neonatal intensive care staff to address ROP.

Advocating for Eye Health Care

We also used World Sight Day as an opportunity to advocate for universal health care that incorporates eye health care. To do this, our teams attended 15 meetings with partners, policy makers and local and national governments. Staff also attended press briefings.

Eye Health Ambassadors

Eye health care ambassadors donned #LoveYourEyes glasses and posted eye health awareness messages online. The ambassadors included students at screenings, our President and CEO Kashinath Bhoosnurmath, staff, kids, pets, post-secondary and high school students and even Calgary, Alberta, Canada Mayor Jyoti Gondek. We are grateful for their support in raising awareness of child eye health and Operation Eyesight.

Learn more about how you can support child eye health here.

The post World Sight Day 2024 – Child Eye Health appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

Dr. Harper joined Sightsavers as CEO in 2005, following a career in the oil and gas sector, bringing with her fresh perspectives on leadership, partnership and innovation.

Over the past two decades, she has helped grow the already-successful organization to be synonymous with eye health across the development sector. Her career is a testament to how courageous leadership transcends industries and can elevate an organization to tackle big challenges.

With a PhD in energy studies from the University of Cambridge, her approach to leadership centres on leveraging local strengths and partnerships.

Operation Eyesight is proud to partner with Sightsavers on projects in Africa, and together with others we have helped pioneer the SAFE strategy to eliminate blinding trachoma, which is a leading cause of vision loss and blindness in the region.

I caught up with Dr. Harper in Mexico City in June 2024, at the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness’ 2030 IN SIGHT LIVE event, where she offered valuable insights on women leaders and the future of leadership in the global eye health space.

What role do women leaders play when it comes to making and leading global change, like achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, for example?

In my experience, particularly in the global eye health sector, there are quite a lot of people at the senior levels who are women, and it’s pretty good in terms of gender balance. Many leaders of some of the big International NGOs, such as Helen Keller International and the Cure Blindness Project, have been women. 

What I have found more interesting are some of the challenges women face at the country level.

In meeting with women’s networks, we’ve realized that a lot of the challenges have not been in the actual workplace itself; but women trying to be leaders have faced pressures due to cultural expectations. In Asia, some women I spoke with have family who say to them, “How can you travel? How can you go on your own to a hotel? You know, that’s not decent.” Or, they may be expected to look after the home rather than pursue a career.

Women have shared with me that this is a big challenge; whereas at the global level, I think the gender mix of leaders is pretty equal.

Having worked across industries, have you ever found that as a woman you had to work harder or speak louder in order to be heard?

Well, I’ve always felt very loud, so I think that’s just kind of me anyway.

When I was getting my job with Sightsavers, I was coming from the private sector of oil and gas, and I thought, “Why are they going to want me? I haven’t got eye health experience. I haven’t got development or even charity experience.” So, I needed to stand out.

And so, I was very loud – I wore a bright blue silk jacket with huge earrings, and I was, in England you call them “Marmite candidates.” Half the trustees loved me, and half the trustees thought, “My, she’s loud.”

That was more about trying to be convincing in an environment where I thought I wasn’t the natural player, more than because I was a woman.

Coming from an oil and gas background, are there skills or experiences that have served you well in your role leading Sightsavers?

I think everybody assumes it’s hugely different, but it’s stunningly similar. You’re running an organization, so that means that it’s all about managing people. And people are people, you know. They have similar motivations – they want to do a really good job, they want intellectual stimulation, they want to feel they matter – and so, that was the same.

Actually, when you look at project management, there are a lot of similar skills in managing a project in oil and gas and managing an INGO program. Fundraising is basically sales and marketing, building relations and making people feel good that they’ve done something. It’s like selling anything; it’s very similar skills. Then of course, you’ve got financial management, IT and so on; it’s the same.

For me, the skills that I learned running an organization, working with people, were very translatable across industries. There are a few differences; people care more about salaries, or money, in the corporate world, while I found that in INGOs, people care more about status, or job titles. You still have all kinds of interesting challenges.

What do you think the development sector could learn from the private sector?

The biggest contrast I found between the two sectors was the speed of action. When I came to Sightsavers, I found the NGO sector was very slow and very consensus-driven, so they wouldn’t make decisions until they had consulted with everyone and had everyone in agreement. Sometimes that led to a solution that was perhaps not as bold as it could be, to avoid controversy.

Whereas the corporate sector often has a decisive, get-things-done, move-ahead approach. Sometimes, of course, that means the corporate sector does leave people behind, because that approach doesn’t depend on building consensus.

This is the difference that really struck me when I came into the sector, and this is where the two sectors can learn from each other.

What role do you think the private sector can play in achieving 2030 IN SIGHT?

The private sector has a huge role to play in 2030 IN SIGHT, particularly in the refractive error side, where the private sector’s the big player in the provision of eyeglasses. There is a lot of potential for growth in this area in middle-income countries. For me, this is the area where they probably will make the single biggest contribution.

In your 2018 TED Talk, you noted that, when it comes to the focus on trachoma, we don’t compete, we collaborate. Do you find that sometimes we do get a bit competitive in the eye health sector, and is there room for more collaboration?

Trachoma is the biggest example of collaboration. Both Sightsavers and Operation Eyesight are members of the International Coalition for Trachoma Control, which received funding from The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust and the British government. This has been shared and is one of the best examples of collaboration in the international eye health sector.

But we [INGOs] also compete, and because of the way that funding mechanisms are set up, I think it’s inevitable. There are not enough resources for all the people who want them. So by definition, we are competing, not just within the eye health sector but across the development sector.

Sometimes we pitch projects together. For example, we have collaborated with the Fred Hollows Foundation, CBM and Orbis, and pitched jointly for funding. Sometimes we’re successful, and sometimes we’re not.

Different organizations from different parts of the world work in different regions globally. Even though Sightsavers has often been the grant maker and the leader, we make sure to bring in all the other organizations, because they may be better placed than us in some countries. For example, we’re working with Operation Eyesight in Narok, Kenya, along with other NGOs. 

What does partnership with organizations like Operation Eyesight mean to Sightavers?

At Sightsavers, partnership is absolutely at the heart of everything.

The most important partnerships are with governments in the countries because governments are the duty bearers. Whether it’s health, education or another government ministry, they’re the ones that have to lead. And for us, that’s the most important partnership. We never work in a country unless we are partnered with the government, because they have to want us there.

You also have to include players that bring different skills to the table, so we have partnerships with other NGOs that might have a different geographic footprint, skill or specialty. And then there are other partners like researchers. For example, we’re close with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and also with universities in countries where we work, particularly in Nigeria, where we have strong partnerships.

Sightsavers has specific skills, but we can’t possibly do everything. Partners bring different things to a coalition or bilateral arrangements. 

Then of course there are donors, particularly donors who have been working with us for many years, whose relationship with us is genuinely about partnership rather than simply contributing funds.

At Operation Eyesight, we have put ourselves on the path to growth through our Global Strategic Plan. As a growing organization, what is it that we should never lose sight of?

At Sightsavers, we grew quite quickly; we took on a lot of additional funds about 10 years ago. One of the most important things we learned is that, if you’re on a growth trajectory, as you grow your money, you must ensure you grow your implementation capacity at least as fast.

Your board of directors plays a critical role in supporting your ambitions. The board needs to remain at a high level and think about the overall strategy and how it’s going to hold management to account. They should ask, what are the key measures we’re going to use to see whether management is delivering? It’s also about having the right board members and encouraging them to work as a team.

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Thank you, Dr. Harper, for taking the time to chat, so we can all learn from your wealth of experience. We look forward to continuing to work with Sightsavers and other partners to eliminate avoidable vision loss. Together, we are empowering communities, strengthening health systems and addressing the root causes of avoidable vision loss, such as poverty, poor sanitation and gender inequality – For All The World To See.

Interested in partnering with Operation Eyesight? Learn more at operationeyesight.com/partnerships

The post Bold vision, courageous leadership: an interview with Sightsavers CEO Dr. Caroline Harper appeared first on Operation Eyesight.