Building on the strengths of local, government health workers

For 38-year-old Shankuntala, healthy eyes are just one piece of a much larger puzzle when it comes to a person’s health and wellness.   In addition to being a full-time mom, Shakuntala also works as an Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) with the Government of India, providing healthcare and referrals for others in her community of… Continue reading Building on the strengths of local, government health workers

Keeping community at the heart of our approach

As we work to eliminate avoidable blindness and attain the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including gender equality and good health and well-being, our focus on communities remains key to our success. 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… Continue reading Keeping community at the heart of our approach

Access to eye health care provides children with the gift of education and the ability to achieve their potential

Each year at this time I am transported back to a time that the Gift of Sight changed the life of a young girl I encountered in Northern India… It was about a decade ago and I was visiting a school as part of my work with Operation Eyesight. The room was loud – full… Continue reading Access to eye health care provides children with the gift of education and the ability to achieve their potential

Eye health care, just in time

Today, nine-year-old Aaliya from the village of Vallabhnagar in Rajasthan can go to school and play with her friends – but it wasn’t always this way.   Failing vision from the age of three meant the gradual loss of sight in her right eye. Aaliya’s family took her to several hospitals seeking treatment, but these efforts… Continue reading Eye health care, just in time