For many of us, our mothers are very special people in our lives. They raised us, loved us unconditionally and looked out for our best interests growing up. For many of us, that’s still true even as adults.

But did you know that in the countries we work in, mothers and their little girls are less likely to get the quality health care they need? This is because women’s health is considered secondary to the rest of the family. And the sad reality is that women are more likely to become blind because of this.

This Mother’s Day, we wanted to ask for your help to change that.

Priscilla lives in Majuli. She’s a dedicated community health worker who helps all the children, women and men in her community with the work she does. She has screened patients for eye health issues and referred them for the treatment they needed, regardless of whether they were men or women. Priscilla has worked hard to make sure everyone in her community receives the treatment they deserve.

Through her work, she was also able to support her family. Now her daughter, Jumi, has become a vision technician at one of our vision centres on the island! And Priscilla’s son was so inspired by his mother’s work with Operation Eyesight and our partner, the Chandraprabha Eye Hospital that he’s registered in their optometry school. This is one great example of the impact of the work made possible by people like you in the most vulnerable communities in the world: an entire family transformed and giving back to their communities! 

Remember Usha? She’s a single mother living in India who cares for two sons and a daughter all on her own. When she lost her sight to cataract, she was devastated. She didn’t know what she would do – She had no money, and she was afraid for herself and her children. She couldn’t distinguish the sugar from the salt in her kitchen anymore. What if her kids starved without her being able to cook for them? 

But the support of kind-hearted people like you turned Usha’s life around with the Gift of Sight! Usha received sight-saving cataract surgery which was free of cost to her and her family!

There are many other mothers like Priscilla and Usha who need your help. Your support today can mean a world of difference to women who desperately need eye care services in their communities.

Please consider donating this Mother’s Day. You could give a tribute gift in your mother’s name to honour her on her special day, and of you could make a donation and send her a beautiful personalized eCard if you like too! From all of us at Operation Eyesight, thank you for all that you do — For All The World To See!

The post Honour mom with a special gift this Mother’s Day appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

As chance would have it, I happened to witness a phenomenon that is changing the lives of people living on Majuli, the biggest river island in the world. Majuli is located in the state of Assam, surrounded by the mighty Brahamputra river. Famous for its masks and traditional dances, the island is a photographer’s paradise. I visited the island along with the team members of Operation Eyesight Universal and an eye hospital located in a nearby town.

I had planned on capturing some portraits, landscapes and whatever else caught my fancy. Unlike my usual limit of two lenses, I opted to carry along a Zeiss 25mm f/2 prime, a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 G and a Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 Micro AI-S lens along with a Nikon Df camera body. That was three lenses in my camera bag! For once in a lifetime trip, I was not taking any chances. Apart from the above, I also had an iphone 5s which I used for some of landscapes.

We reached the river-bank early in the morning. The ferry was old and scary to look at and the river was an endless expanse of water, especially after the monsoons. Crossing rivers is not a comfortable thing to do for me, but then once we were in the ferry, I was mesmerized by the beauty of the water surrounding me. The distant Majuli island appeared very mysterious to me. What was it that Operation Eyesight Universal was so eager to see and show? Was the island as beautiful as people had been telling me? I had all my answers by the end of the day. The ferry ride took a little over half an hour to reach the island. We had traveled along the flow of the water. The doctor from the hospital told us that the return journey was going to take about two hours since we would be traveling opposite to the flow. It reminded me of the problems we had to solve in the school days. Were those by I E Irodov? I let the thought pass by. The water all around was keeping me occupied. There were beautiful photographs to be made.

The time passed very quickly in the ferry while I admired the abstracts surrounding me. On reaching the shore, I was taken aback by the contrast in the scenery. The island was pristine in its beauty but the people living there appeared very poor. The large shops from the mainland were replaced here by small make-shift shacks. Though poverty was visible all around, the people were welcoming and friendly. It may have been partially due to the very nature of these people or it may have been the impression created by the work that Operation Eyesight Universal and the eye hospital had been doing in the region, to eliminate avoidable blindness.

One of the fears that photographers face is the fear of mingling with people. (10 Fears that bind photographers down). I have found that a friendly smile crosses all barriers and helps capture the true nature of the people. Ability to approach people at close distances and photograph is something that many photographers lack. The physical distance between the subject and the photographer determines how well a viewer is able to look into a person’s life, going beyond the mere appearances.

Majuli island quite frequently gets flooded during rains. People here have adapted to this as a part and parcel of their life. The huts that they make are built on top of bamboo stilts. The height of the house keeps the occupants dry when the land gets flooded. It seems like a very difficult way of life. One of the team members from the group explained me that the reason these people have settled down here is because of the fertile soil. After each flooding, the silt that is left behind is very fertile and so they continue to live in these huts on stilts.

Majuli island is huge. There are many villages on the island. After traveling for over an hour, we reached one such village. With the efforts of the eye-hospital under the guidance of Operation Eyesight Universal, this village was now avoidable blindness free. Each and every individual who could be treated had been given the gift of sight. On reaching the village, the villagers greeted us in the traditional way, expressing their happiness by their dance. It was a beautiful celebration, especially since I knew the reason behind their happiness. I use my camera to photograph what I see. It is hard to image life without clear sight. Thousands of people on this island had been living in their own world of darkness in the absence of medical facilities.

There were few old ladies present who had undergone sight-saving surgeries. In a society where females are frequently left behind, I was pleased to see these old ladies who could now see well. Their expressions had a level of confidence generally lacking in such age group. Peering through their glasses, they were observing everything around them with interest.

As always, I was left impressed and deeply moved by the work that is being done to prevent blindness. Sometimes I feel like leaving everything that I do and working for the well-being of such people.

It was a very short trip but whatever time I got, I spent photographing various glimpses into the lives of the people. When visiting such villages, the ideal way is to spend time with them. Walking around in the villages and interacting with the villagers is the only way to capture truly captivating photographs.

On the way back, I tried capturing some more photographs of the villages, but the sun was getting ready to set and there was a large river to cross. We had to hurry back to the ferry. With a heavy heart, I left the island. Enriched with the experience of the life there, I got a feeling of contentment.

I am trying to become minimalist (Minimalism & Photography) but the Majuli island had people who already are minimalist due to the harsh living conditions.

Thanks to the support of people like you, we are able to continue our work in places like Majuli Island. There are still many people who are suffering from avoidable blindness, and they need your help. You can donate to give the Gift of Sight to those who need it most today — For All the World to See!

The post Majuli Island: From Maini’s Mind to Operation Eyesight appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

Thanks to a video documentary created by our Canadian intern Adrian Parlow, you can check in on our community health workers, hospital partner and the people of Majuli and see how we’re doing!

Operation Eyesight’s hospital partner for Majuli is Chandraprabha Eye Hospital, located in Jorhat, Assam. Established in 2005, the hospital was our first Non-Financial Technical Partnership. It’s now one of the most reputable hospitals in the region, houses two prestigious training schools and performs 4,200 surgeries annually.

Together, Operation Eyesight and Chandraprabha set out to eliminate avoidable blindness on Majuli Island. When our locally-hired community health workers began a comprehensive survey, they found that gender discrimination, vitamin A deficiency, poor sanitation, malnutrition and other issues all compounded the lack of eye health care.

Based on the survey, the project team and hospital management developed plans to tackle cataracts, blindness and other eye problems. To date, almost 3,800 people from the island have undergone surgery to restore their sight, over 5,000 pairs of eyeglasses have been dispensed and 83,500 people have attended health education workshops. Immunization of children under five and coverage of antenatal and postnatal care have all reached 85 percent.

In 2015, we were able to declare a total of 21 avoidable blindness-free villages on Majuli! Although there is much more to do, none of this work would be possible without our amazing donors. Thanks to donor support, people in places like Majuli Island no longer have to live in darkness; they have been given the gift of sight!

The post Biannual checkup: Majuli Island appeared first on Operation Eyesight.