The opportunity to become a community health worker gave Amita the fulfillment she always wanted. She is so happy that it allows her to help people in her community. She’s educated people to understand that superstitions do not affect health issues.

Also, she’s helped them learn what they need to do to look after their own eye health. She has become a respected expert in the area where she lives.

“Now whenever people have problems with their eyes, they come to me for a solution,” she says proudly.

Your generous support provides training and fulfilling opportunities for women to make a huge difference in their communities! Thank you!

The post Amita is changing lives through a career that changed her life! appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

In poverty-stricken areas of developing countries, women are often expected to assume traditional gender roles, looking after the household and raising children. They are often less respected than men. They have few opportunities to pursue education and a career. Even if they dream of a more fulfilling job like Amita in Nepal (see Amita’s story on our International Women’s Day page), they are often restricted to staying at home to look after their families.

Our Hospital-Based Community Eye Health Program model educates mostly women as community health workers (CHWs). These CHWs are fully trained to organize screening programs, conduct door-to-door surveys and get help for those who need it. They hold educational sessions about issues like maternal and pre- and post-natal health and teach people good eye health-seeking behaviour.

It’s a unique opportunity for women to work outside the home, earning an income and the trust and respect of people in the community as experts in their field. It’s also a great example for young girls in the community to see women succeeding in a career that makes a real difference.

Since the start of this program, hundreds of women have made an impact on their communities as CHWs. It’s because of their diligent work that we have been able to declare over 1,000 villages
avoidable blindness-free… and counting!

Your support for this program has empowered women in these villages to become eye health experts and transform their communities. Thank you so much!

March 8th is International Women’s Day, and people like you are making a huge impact in the lives of women and their communities through your support. Since March 3rd, we’ve posted a story each day about a woman whose life was changed thanks to people like you. You can read those stories here.

You can empower more women by making a donation to our sight-saving programs today. Happy (early) International Women’s Day!

The post You are empowering women to transform their own communities! appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

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.

The post We’re one of the Top 10 Impact Charities of 2018! appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

One example of this is Shashi (pictured above). She lives in a small village in Delhi, India in a small semi-concrete house, which she shares with her family.

She is unmarried and lives with her mother and her two brothers. Her eldest brother is running a small clothing shop, and what he makes from his work there he puts toward supporting the family. Unfortunately, Shashi’s family still faced a great deal of financial challenges.

Shashi wanted to do something to help financially, and she heard about Operation Eyesight. When she heard that they were training Community Health Workers to go door-to-door and screen them for eye health issues, she knew right away that she wanted to be a part of it.

Shashi had a hard time finding the job. When she did, her family wasn’t immediately supportive. Many women in India are not encouraged to work, but after she was hired, her family was counselled on the importance of the work she would be doing, and the financial benefits it would bring. Finally, Shashi’s family agreed that she could do the job (SDG #5: Gender Equality).

“It’s great work. I always wanted to help people in need in my community. This was my first time working with so many people, and at first I had trouble convincing the people about the importance of their eye health, especially when it came to eye surgery. It took time, but as people were treated, I started receiving appreciation from the patients who were helped and that was a great boost to my confidence” (SDG #3: Good Health and Well-Being).

Community health work is hard and involved work. Not only do health workers perform initial screenings, they also follow up with patients. Thanks to Shashi’s dedication, the people in her community have developed awareness about the importance of eye health as well as general healthcare (SDG #4: Quality Education).

Now people happily welcome her into their homes, trusting that she can help them.

“The work is very rewarding. There was one patient I helped who had cataract in both eyes. After counselling her about cataract surgery and referring her to the partner hospital for treatment, her sight was restored (SDG #17: Partnerships for the Goals). She was so happy! Now she has become an advocate for eye health, and her quality of life has been much improved.”

While Shashi’s mother was initially hesitant to allow her to work, she is now so proud.

“My daughter is working for a noble cause and helping people by referring them to be cured from avoidable blindness! I couldn’t be happier. Thanks to Shashi, our family is financially supported, and we are respected by our community.”

Shashi has decided that once she is done working as a community health worker, she wants to study to get a degree and become a social worker, with a focus on community development.

“This job has built my image as a social worker in the community. People respect me, they consult me when they have any eye-related issues. People now call me doctor!” Shashi says smiling. “It has also helped my family financially. I’m happy I can support my family and bring us out of poverty (SDG #1: No poverty). I would like to thank everyone who has made this possible, including Operation Eyesight and the generous donors who provided me with a great opportunity to work to help my community. It’s always been my dream!” (SGD #10: Reduced Inequalities).

The best part of it all is that it’s generous people like you who make our work possible. Your support is helping thousands see hope for the future, and is giving them a chance to break the cycle of poverty and build themselves a brighter future!

There are still so many people who need our help. By donating to our Screening and Outreach programs, you can help us train more dedicated health workers like Shashi, and restore sight to those who need it most – For All The World To See!

The post Changing communities through the elimination of avoidable blindness appeared first on Operation Eyesight.