After working in India for over 50 years, we have some great stories to share. For instance, our 10-millionth eye treatment was performed in 1987 on 12-year-old Satish Kumar for an infected gland in his upper eyelid. But did you know that Operation Eyesight’s origin in India is also a romantic one?

In many ways, our story begins on the honeymoon of Dr. Ben and Evlyn Gullison, Canadians who travelled to Sompeta, India in 1932 as medical missionaries. They discovered 200,000 people who were blind and had no medical care whatsoever. The Gullisons founded Arogyavaram Hospital to serve the region’s health needs.

However, Dr. Ben was not an eye doctor, so in 1949 he convinced ophthalmologist Dr. John Coapullai to join their staff. But many people were too poor to afford even basic eye care. Dr. Ben returned to Canada seeking funding for his hospital. There he met Calgary businessman Art Jenkyns, who became inspired by Dr. Ben’s vision and founded Operation Eyesight.

At first, the tiny charity worked to meet Arogyavaram’s needs, such as a new roof in 1966 after the old one became infested with termites! But from those small beginnings and thanks to dedicated donors and volunteers, the organization grew to support four additional hospitals in India by 1969, assuming the full operating costs of Arogyavaram by 1970.

During these years, we focused on mass cataract surgeries to combat one of the main causes of blindness. Since then, we’ve come to realize that a world without avoidable blindness can only be achieved when everyone has access to sustainable, quality eye care, regardless of their ability to pay.

With that in mind, in 2001 we entered into a formal partnership with India’s world-renowned LV Prasad Eye Institute, initiating a period where we would work more closely with our partners, offering technical expertise with the goal of each partner reaching financial self-sustainability.

Our health care model now focuses on quality rather than quantity and stresses the importance of recruiting and training local individuals as community workers. This model is so successful that in 2013 it was endorsed by Vision 2020 India, which is encouraging its partners to adopt it.

Our donors have a direct impact beyond our 40 Indian hospital partners. One such partner is Chandra Prabha Eye Hospital. Together, we’re bringing eye care to the 150,000 people of Majuli Island, who previously had no vision services at all.

It was only a few years after our organization’s founding that we began to support projects outside India. For a long time, this work was scattered, with individual projects in Africa, Asia and South America. Today, our work outside of India is focused in the African countries of Ghana, Kenya and Zambia. Visit our website to learn more about our programs in each country.

The post It started on a honeymoon… appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

Iris is an accomplished stage and film actor, director, voice-over artist and acting coach. And just this year, she added cookbook author to her resume. We were gratified to learn that she is donating a percentage of the proceeds of the sale of the first 1000 cookbooks to Operation Eyesight!

We sat down with Iris and her husband Fred when they were in Calgary last month for our 50th anniversary celebration and annual general meeting.

OE: Can you share a favourite memory of your great uncle?

Iris: One of my earliest memories is when Dr. Ben and [his wife] Evlyn visited from India. I was about five years old and they gave me exotic Indian jewelry. I was thrilled! I remember listening in awe to Uncle Ben’s stories from India – a place so far and different from Nova Scotia. Even then, I think I had an appreciation for who he was and what he did.

OE: So, why a cookbook?

Fred: Iris is a terrific cook! When we host dinner parties, our guests are always asking for her recipes… so there was great demand.

Iris: I’ve always wanted to write a cookbook. And I recently celebrated a milestone birthday, which always makes you a bit reflective, I think. As I thought about it, I realized I wanted to leave a legacy. So I combined the two by donating part of the proceeds to Operation Eyesight and it’s a dream come true. It feels great!

OE: Tell us a little bit about the cookbook?

Iris: I really wanted my cookbook to be suitable for both beginners and foodies, so the recipes are totally accessible to almost anyone. I think being a teacher gives me a unique perspective in laying out clear recipe instructions, so the book as a whole will lead the home chef from appetizer to dessert. I hope it will be a delicious and fun exploration! I believe in cooking just a few times a week and making your freezer your new best friend. My recipes have suggestions for re-inventing meals so that leftovers are new and exciting. I am hoping it will be a great resource for newlyweds, students, and busy working folks. I have included 200 of my favourite and most requested recipes.

OE: What’s your most requested recipe?

Fred: That would have to be Iris’ macaroon recipe. It’s the most versatile and very simple. The perfect sweet treat! (See page 192 in Salivation for the recipe.)

OE: We can’t thank you enough! How do people order the cookbook?

Iris: It’s really easy. Just go to the cookbook page on www.irisquinn.com and follow the instructions. There’s even a sample recipe for goat cheese and sun-dried tomato pita crisps. Another favourite!

We’re thrilled to be the beneficiaries of this unique fundraiser. Thank you, Iris and Fred! 

The post Cooking up support to fight avoidable blindness appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

Dr. Gullison was born in Yarmouth, N.S. He studied medicine at Acadia University and Edinburgh University, specializing in surgery and midwifery and later doing post-graduate work in the treatment of leprosy.

He had a deep connection with India, having spent 10 years there as a child with his missionary parents. He returned to India with his wife Evlyn as part of the Canadian Baptist Mission and arrived in the town of Sompeta in 1935, a time when there were no roads or electricity and the hospital was a one-room thatched-roof hut. The Gullisons channeled their energy into building a new facility, later named Arogyavaram Hospital.

As the years went on, Dr. Gullison became increasingly concerned with the number of destitute blind he encountered. Eyes were not his speciality, so he invited ophthalmologist Dr. John Coapullai to join the staff at Arogyavaram. The two later estimated that 200,000 curable blind people lived within 320 kilometres of the hospital. Thanks to funding from an American charity, they began offering free cataract surgeries.

Then disaster struck. After two years, the charity ended their funding. And so, in 1962 the Gullisons returned to Canada to seek support for their hospital.

In Calgary, Dr. Gullison met Art Jenkyns, who created the “Ben Gullison Club” to raise money. The humble Dr. Gullison disliked the name, but he couldn’t argue with the group’s success; they raised enough money for 148 cataract surgeries that year. At Dr. Gullison’s request, the group renamed itself “Operation Eyesight,” and by 1970 was raising enough money to take over total financial responsibility for Arogyavaram Eye Hospital, which had become a dedicated eye facility.

Dr. Gullison retired from the hospital in 1969, and in 1980 he was awarded the Order of Canada for his many achievements. In 1984, he took up a role as honorary president of Operation Eyesight with these words: “Let us press forward, reaching out to what is ahead – that many thousands more destitute blind men, women and little children may receive freely the priceless gift of sight.”

Operation Eyesight is the shared legacy of Art Jenkyns, our founder, and Ben Gullison, our inspiration. We are still pressing forward and reaching out towards Dr. Gullison’s vision of a world without avoidable blindness. Just as we remember his contribution, we also remember our donors, who are making Dr. Gullison’s dream a reality. Thank you!

Want to learn more about Dr. Gullison and Art Jenkyns? You can find more about them and their huge impact on our story here.

The post Remembering our inspiration: Dr. Ben Gullison appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

Okay, in reality the celebrations might be a bit lower-key than that. But I’m sure you’ll agree, 50 years of preventing avoidable blindness is an occasion worth celebrating!

Back in 1963, a Canadian doctor named Ben Gullison inspired businessman Art Jenkyns to found Operation Eyesight right here in Calgary, Alberta.

I knew both of these dedicated men, and worked closely with Art. They would be delighted that this once-tiny charity has evolved into an international development organization that has brought light and hope to millions and millions of people in the developing world. As the expression goes, “From small beginnings come great things.”

Of course, we could not have reached this 50th anniversary milestone without our donors’ continued strong support of our mission to eliminate avoidable blindness.

On behalf of all of us at Operation Eyesight and our partners in India, Kenya, Zambia and Ghana, our warmest “thank you!” for your continued support. Because of you, there are people who will never go blind. Now THAT certainly warrants a celebration!

While we don’t have a crystal ball to predict what the next 50 years will bring, one thing is certain: Our successful models of comprehensive, quality eye services will provide the answer to the heartbreaking yet preventable issue of avoidable blindness. And we hope our generous supporters will be there with us, as together, we work towards the day when all the world can see.

Thank you for your support as we enter our 50th year of preventing avoidable blindness in the world’s poorest countries! Read more about Operation Eyesight’s history here; and watch for more anniversary news throughout the year.

The post Fireworks for 50! appeared first on Operation Eyesight.