Eyeglasses bring hope and better grades to Fassikaw  

Before receiving glasses, Fassikaw had to hold his book just inches from his face to read.

An eight-year-old second-grade student in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, regained clear vision thanks to free eyeglasses from Operation Eyesight’s School Eye Health Program.

Childhood friendship fuels hope for 23,000 kids in Ghana

While most Canadian schoolkids would have a hard time finding Ghana on a map, the West African country truly came to life for donor Sharon Margison when she was 10 years old. That year, her mother, then president of the Toronto YWCA, developed a close friendship with a young Ghanaian woman named Sika (also known… Continue reading Childhood friendship fuels hope for 23,000 kids in Ghana

Bringing futures into focus – the links between clear vision and quality education

Between textbooks, whiteboards and videos in class, most of the information that’s presented to kids at school is visual. So what does that mean for a child who can’t see clearly? In countries where eye health care is difficult to access, a simple eye condition like myopia (nearsightedness) can cause a student to fall behind… Continue reading Bringing futures into focus – the links between clear vision and quality education

The role of eye care in preventing poverty

For most of his adult life, Abraham made a living as a cobbler, supporting his wife and raising six children on his earnings. But several years ago, he started having trouble threading needles. Initially, he pricked himself repeatedly, and eventually, he couldn’t get the needles threaded at all. Due to his poor eyesight, Abraham had… Continue reading The role of eye care in preventing poverty