Donor Shout-Outs – Spring 2024
Seva Foundation
Seva is a global nonprofit eye care organization that works with local communities around the world to develop self-sustaining programs that preserve and restore sight.
Since 1978, Seva has provided sight-saving surgeries, eyeglasses, medicine, and other eye care services to more than 40 million people in under-served communities.
Since 1978, Seva has provided sight-saving surgeries, eyeglasses, medicine, and other eye care services to more than 40 million people in under-served communities.
I’ll Take Seva Trivia for 1,000, Ken.
Get your buzzer finger ready as we play a game of Seva trivia. With 45-plus years, 20 countries, and 57 million people served, we’ve got some history! Test your arcane knowledge in our quiz on the programs, solutions, and people that help make the joy of transforming lives by restoring sight possible.
Ready? Let’s get to it.
Continue readingEye care & the gender gap. Let’s talk about it.
It’s 2024, and women are still struggling to access equitable health care. How is this? Supporters like you have asked us this question quite a few times and we’re glad you do – we appreciate the hard q’s.
The disparities we’re grappling with are centuries old. Economic barriers, gender politics, and social norms – to name a few – make it difficult for women in developing countries to access eye care.
Seva has worked to untangle and address these challenges for 45 years. From hiring and training local women as eye care professionals who can contribute to the local economy, to gender-responsive outreach and policy advocacy, we work in more than 20 countries to empower and serve women.
Here are a few of the profound ways you are helping Seva to level the playing field for women and girls.
Continue readingThis is how we do it.
Restoring sight looks different in every area. No two communities, geographies, or cultures are the same – we work closely with local partners to understand what prevents people from accessing eye care and what we can do about it.
Vision Centers (VCs) are one way we achieve this. These local establishments are equipped to meet 80% of all eye care needs, and refer patients who require more specialized care to a partner hospital. In the past five years, through your support, we’ve established 139 VCs in remote areas of the world, creating life-changing access to eye care for millions along the way. Read below for four different types of VCs:
Continue readingWriter–check. Illustrator–check. Entrepreneur–it’s on the list.
At the tender age of 11, Pisey is already studying the Khmer language and learning to write in its formal, more difficult form. But she doesn’t stop there; she also draws pictures to accompany her writing. So it was surprising when Pisey’s mom, Dai Vanneth, observed that something was amiss with Pisey’s eyes; they watered while she slept.
Continue readingCall the Please Force!
Wavy Gravy and a few hundred friends are in the building!
Taj Mahal and Maria Muldaur. Photo by Bob Minkin
They came in plaid. They came in voluminous pants and retina-searing tie dye, often as one outfit. They convened to celebrate a man known for his Woodstock quote but famous for his huge heart. Wavy Gravy’s birthday concert benefiting Seva was a good old-fashioned lovefest, brimming with soul. And bubbles.
Continue readingBollywood in Portland?
Yep, and a popular fundraiser for Seva returns in person!
It was raining in Portland, OR, but the Balaji Temple was aglow with partygoers wearing traditional Indian colors: saffron yellows, scarlets, and magentas. Onstage was Indian-American singing group Soor Aur Saptak (SAS) holding its 12th annual concert benefiting Seva.
Continue readingThe Nepal Blindness Survey at 40
When art, science, and compassion meet
It’s 1978 in Michigan. A clown, a guru, and a doctor walk into a cabin. The clown says, “What I have in mind is eye care for 400,000.” The guru says “See here now.” The doctor says, “Brilliant. We can do that.”
And that’s how Seva started.
Continue readingYour support changes lives
From education to eyeglasses, from cataract surgery to cameras that diagnose, your support has helped people around the world. Thanks to you, Seva has provided vital eye care services to 57 million people in the world, including more than 6.5 million people in the last year alone. Seva’s vision is a world in which no one lives with avoidable blindness.
Continue readingDonor Shout-Outs – Fall 2023
- “They Shared Everything.” Seva supporter Dennis Donham gives back.
- Ann Lowry’s commitment to Seva & the world. Creating a legacy of eye care.
- Two Words We Like: Direct and Powerful. Wellness expert, writer, yoga teacher, devoted human to Vladimir the rescue pup.
- Miracle Pop-Up is a Christmas-themed pop-up cocktail bar that partners with locations all over the world during the holiday season.
