We’re thrilled to have been named one of the Top 10 Impact Charities of 2018 by Charity Intelligence Canada. Just as for-profit organizations have an obligation to their shareholders, we have an obligation to our donors. We invest donor funds carefully and efficiently to create the long-term changes that will help eliminate avoidable blindness.

This recognition is a significant milestone on our shared path to help more people who are needlessly suffering, and to make a generational impact that will ensure the communities we work in will have access to the eye care they need today, tomorrow and in the future.

Charity Intelligence’s impact rating is determined by analyzing the measurable return for every dollar donated. They hold charities accountable for the support they receive from Canadian donors, and they observe that people will generally give more to charities when they are confident their donation will make an impact. Operation Eyesight made the list by eliminating avoidable blindness at the community level, through our Hospital-Based Community Eye Health Program model.

When assessing our impact, we look at how well we are meeting our strategic goals. We look at the number of patients treated, how much local capacity is being built and how well our hospital partners are progressing towards operational sustainability.

We create eye health-seeking behaviour in the communities we work in through outreach and education programs, and we empower communities to take responsibility for their eye health needs. This plays a vital role in helping to ensure our projects are sustainable and that people will continue to seek help even after our formal partnership with the hospital has ended.

The ripple effect is incredible! Kids can see to read and go to school, giving them the opportunity to get an education and later find a job and provide for themselves. Parents can return to work and provide for their families. Grandparents can watch their grandkids grow up, and their grandkids don’t need to stay home to care for them. This way, children can get an education and thrive in the future. Entire communities are transformed with the gift of sight!

We can’t thank our donors enough for supporting our sight-saving program model. Thanks to people like you, we’ve declared over 1,000 villages avoidable blindness-free in India and Nepal. And we’re not done yet! We’ve had great success in the communities we work in, but there are still millions of people who need our help. With your help, we can reach them – For All The World To See!

 Click here to donate and make an IMPACT.

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This week, representatives from Operation Eyesight (including yours truly) are headed to Durban, South Africa for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness’s 10^th General Assembly. Our team will join 1,600 other delegates to discuss public health issues related to blindness and visual impairment. We submitted seven abstracts to the program committee, and we’re delighted to report that all seven were accepted and will be presented at the Assembly

Our poster presentations will include our child eye health project in Kenya, cataract surgery coverage in Ghana, sustainable vision centres in India and our successful program models. Dr. Boateng Wiafe, our Director of Quality and Advocacy, will also deliver a presentation on the national blindness and visual impairment study we spearheaded in Ghana.

We’re excited for the opportunity to share with our international colleagues some of the things we’ve been able to learn and achieve, thanks to our donors’ support. We hope to share more with you, too. Be sure to “Like” Operation Eyesight on Facebook and follow us on Twitter so you can see photos and updates from the Assembly.

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This past weekend, we Canadians gathered around the Thanksgiving dinner table and gave thanks for the many wonderful people in our lives. At Operation Eyesight, we gave thanks for our dedicated donors who’ve supported our sight-saving work for more than 53 years. We also reflected on the life of our biggest supporter, Una Jenkyns.

Una, wife of our founder Art Jenkyns, passed away in May at age 98. For staff and volunteers, donors, and Una’s family and friends, it was an occasion of great sadness but also of celebration of the life of an incredible woman. It’s because of Una’s dedication to Art’s work that Operation Eyesight grew to be the organization it is today.

Una supported Art’s decision to leave his job at an insurance brokerage to became the first president of Operation Eyesight, allowing him to fully commit to the organization. It was a bold move, given that they had five children and were sacrificing their only source of guaranteed income, but Una placed her trust in Art and did everything she could to help him get the charity going.

“She was behind him all the way,” says Sylvia Constable, a long-time friend of the Jenkyns family. “They were a true team.”

When Art travelled for work, Una carried the responsibilities at home, taking care of their children and Art’s administrative work. Like her husband, she had a lot of integrity in her personal life and in the business world, and Art was quick to give her credit for Operation Eyesight’s success.

“She was a woman of substance,” says Sylvia. “She was a role model for her children, and for everyone else, too.”

Even in her final years, when she was faced with the challenges of dementia, Una remained the woman her family knew and loved, steady in her faith. The work started by her beloved husband always had a special place in her heart, which she demonstrated by leaving a thoughtful gift to Operation Eyesight in her will.

Una’s kindness will be felt for generations to come as we continue the work she and Art began 53 years ago. Her legacy will live on through Operation Eyesight, her children, and those she inspired. “She really tried to be the best that she could be,” says Sylvia. “And she succeeded.”

We’d like to extend our deepest condolences to the Jenkyns family on the loss of their grandmother and mother. We’d also like to thank the Jenkyns family for their steadfast support of our work to eliminate avoidable blindness. Thank you!

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