mothers Archives - Operation Eyesight

Mothers make a difference in the world

Admin — Thu, 18 Oct 2018 09:38:16 +0000

In the course of our work in Africa and India, we see a lot of mothers. They may have different appearances, household incomes, occupations or roles in the community. They may be first time parents, mothers of five scraping by with limited resources, or grandmothers barely recognizing their grandchildren because of their cataracts. The only thing that doesn’t change is their love and care for their families.

Here are some of the memorable mothers we’ve encountered in the past few years. Click on the images to see a bigger version of the photos, or read about their stories and our programs in the places they live.

May 13 is Mother’s Day. It’s not too late to send an eCard to your mom, grandmother or spouse. Celebrate her with an eCard and a meaningful gift that honours her and helps mothers in India and Africa.

With reliable eye care nearby, this Maasai baby can grow up without the fear of going blind. (Photo by Ric Rowan.)

Bright eyes: mother and child in a rice field. (Photo by Peter Carrette.)

The post Mothers make a difference in the world appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

Think of the children

Admin — Thu, 18 Oct 2018 09:38:05 +0000

As vice-president of International Programs, I am frequently in close contact with people in India and Africa. When I’ve visited these places, I’ve been struck by the vulnerability of children living in poverty.

When poverty leads to blindness, it’s truly heartbreaking because there is little hope without outside help. Countless children miss out on an education, simply because they can’t afford a pair of eyeglasses – they can’t see the chalkboard or focus on words in books. The little girls, especially, are doomed to live wretched, marginalized lives if no one reaches out to them.

Hmmm, which ones would I pick? In Ghana, this little girl is fortunate to have access to eye care services that don’t exist for many children in the developing world. Photo by Wairimu Gitahi.

Universal Children’s Day is coming up on November 20. This is a good time to think about kids in trouble, especially those threatened by blindness and low vision. Did you know that every minute, a child goes blind somewhere in the world?

In 1954, the United Nations created Universal Children’s Day, knowing that the youngest are often most at risk. Today, the day is celebrated all over the world to promote international improvement of children’s welfare.

Operation Eyesight is deeply concerned about the welfare of children. Our program partners work directly with children and their mothers to improve the conditions that promote eye health. In India, all of our partner hospitals now run optical shops and pharmacies in conjunction with the eye units. We also support immunization programs, nutrition classes, eye screenings and access to job training. Among our African partners, this same vision is becoming a reality.

Here’s an idea. If you’d like to reach out to a child right now, see if you have a spare $20. That will purchase an eye exam and brand new custom-fitted eyeglasses for three children in Africa or India (yes, you read that right – three individual pairs of glasses). Our online Gift Guide has details about this, along with other ways to help kids in need. Have a look, and thanks for thinking about the children.

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Consider this on Mother’s Day: Women suffer a greater risk of blindness

Admin — Thu, 18 Oct 2018 09:37:53 +0000

Ensuring women and children have equitable access to eye health services is a challenge in many developing countries. This challenge needs to be addressed because access issues, along with early promotion and prevention strategies, are fundamental – not only to healthy eyes but to healthy communities as well.

In the developing world, many women are threatened by blindness and low vision.

Many women in India suffer from vision problems, even when eye care is available to them. Reasons may include their perceived status in the family, or distances to a clinic, or other priorities that are deemed more important (like taking care of the rest of the family!). As a result, women are more likely to become blind.

By reaching out to the community through community based programs staffed by local people, Operation Eyesight is helping to overcome some of these barriers. Since most of the people running these programs are women, we are also providing women in general with a stronger voice in the health care system.

These programs not only help direct people to higher levels of eye health services for treatment, they also promote prevention practices such as good nutrition, prenatal care and immunization. The causes of childhood blindness are generally the same things that cause children to die. Women and children (and by extension the whole community) benefit from these community based services that, in promoting eye health, also promote healthy communities.

May 8^th is Mother’s Day. Consider giving a gift to the mother in your life and, by doing so, help mothers in India and Africa. See the Gift Guide section of our website.

The post Consider this on Mother’s Day: Women suffer a greater risk of blindness appeared first on Operation Eyesight.