Tag: Ghana

Brighter futures ahead, thanks to school eye health programs

Vision loss affects nearly every facet of a child’s life. Some studies suggest that up to 80 per cent of learning is visual. That’s why we’re bringing eye health services to students in classrooms across our countries of work.  “Our school eye health program is giving students more than just access to eyeglasses or sight-saving procedures,”… Continue reading Brighter futures ahead, thanks to school eye health programs

Siblings’ cataracts diagnosed, thanks to school screening

The oldest of four kids, 14-year-old Isaac is his mother’s biggest helper – assisting with chores like cleaning, sweeping and looking after his younger siblings. But a few years back, Isaac started having problems finding things around the house. One day, his mom, Samanta, sent him outside to sweep the compound, but he came back… Continue reading Siblings’ cataracts diagnosed, thanks to school screening

A passion for care and community

As a community health nurse, Felicia is a trusted leader in her community. Thanks to her primary eye care training, she’s now able to take the care she provides to the next level.

Our global team of more than 2,000 community health workers are our first point of contact with many communities. That’s why they need to have the right mix of training and passion. For 37-year-old Felicia from Obrachire, in southern Ghana, seeing how prescription eyeglasses made it possible for her own daughter to read helped fuel… Continue reading A passion for care and community

Sustainable impact through community partnership

Through our unique approach, known as our Hospital-Based Community Eye Health Program model, we declared 51 communities or villages across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia as Avoidable Blindness-Free in 2022, including villages like Asafora, in Ghana. We work with community leaders and healthcare workers to ensure that the community supports and takes ownership of the process.

Asafora is like many other small villages in central Ghana; its several hundred residents are mostly farmers growing cassava and plantain, and many community members have faced barriers to accessing eye health care. What sets this community apart? It is the first village in the country we declared Avoidable Blindness-Free. The December 2022 declaration event… Continue reading Sustainable impact through community partnership