Across low-and-middle-income countries, less than half of 10-year-old children can read. This alarming phenomenon has been labelled by education experts around the world as the global ‘learning crisis’: A bitter-sweet situation in which we have achieved near universal primary education, including gender parity, but in which children are not achieving sufficient mastery of basic literacy and numeracy.
Policymakers will need to use a variety of tools to address the learning deficit. One promising but under-considered intervention is hiding in plain sight: eyeglasses.
Seva is again at the heart of a global and audacious idea. If successful, it will improve the quality of life for millions of individuals worldwide.
This summer, with Seva’s Director of Impact and Learning, Lauren Jesudason, I represented the Seva Foundation in Geneva, Switzerland, as a founding member of the World Health Organization’s latest initiative, SPECS 2030. This was a chance for Seva to take a seat at the global table – once again – lending our decades of experience and goodwill to an exciting undertaking.
We’re making history together! Welcome to the first eye hospital in Quiche, Guatemala.
One step in Quiche, Guatemala, and you’ll be met by its people’s extraordinary warmth, generosity, and kindness. One of Guatemala’s most populous departments, it’s where almost one million people from diverse indigenous Mayan communities, call home. Situated in the central highlands and surrounded by two mountain ranges, Quiche is as isolated as it is beautiful. Most rely on agriculture and textiles for their livelihood. Along with this remoteness comes poverty and a lack of services, created in the aftermath of years of civil unrest. Essential health care, including vision, is simply not a reality for the majority of people who live here.
But through science, sustainable public health infrastructure, and your support – a difference is being made.
Petrona Ixcolin from Guatemala photo by Joe Raffanti.
On August 9, join Seva in celebrating International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. Since the late 70s, Seva has been honored to work alongside, learn from, and co-create sustainable eye care programs that benefit indigenous communities. Key to our success has been combining the strengths of indigenous culture, knowledge and ways of living with the latest science.
One way we achieve this is through two-eyed seeing, an approach first developed from the teachings of Chief Charles Labrador of Acadia First Nation, and later expanded on Mi’kmaq Elders, Dr. Albert and Dr. Murdena Marshall from Eskasoni First Nation. As published in the British Columbia Medical Journal, two-eyed seeing invites us to “see from one eye with the strengths of Indigenous knowledges and ways of knowing, and from the other eye with the strengths of Western knowledges and ways of knowing, and to use both of these eyes together for the benefit of all.” 1
My name is Suzanne Gilbert. For the last 45 years, I’ve had the most rewarding job in the world, with the most remarkable people, at the most resilient organization: the Seva Foundation.
I’ve been with Seva…well, before it was even called Seva! Over the years, I’ve worn many hats, from Co-Founder to volunteer to Executive Director, Program Director, and in recent years as Senior Director of Research.This month, I’ll be retiring from the organization.
As I wind down these last few weeks, I’ve dug through the archives, recalling touching Seva stories and the people behind them. Seva’s stellar Communications Team asked if I’d share some of my journey with you.
What did five decades in public health teach me? Well, beyond dancing back-up for Wavy Gravy (true story!), it really boils down to this: learning how to see the possible in the impossible.
In the late 70s, when we first told people our aim to eliminate avoidable blindness, they thought we were nuts. “You can’t do it, that’s not going to happen, is that even a problem?” Some just asked “how?” And to be honest, we hadn’t gotten that far in our plan yet. We just had this vision, first steps, kept going, and attracted colleagues who shared our same goal.
Building and scaling self-sustaining eye care programs worldwide is no small feat. What’s stood resolute across five decades is Seva’s firm commitment to compassion, science and service – individually great, but combined? Potent to create lasting change. Today, Seva has grown into a leading authority in public health, tens of thousands of supporters strong, and 57 million people served across over 20 countries.
I’m heartened with all we’ve achieved together – but it’s behind the scenes where some of my favorite memories are, and where the “Seva magic” often happens: talks late into the night to truly hear each other, experiencing the ground realities of partners around the world, and the unexpected surprises along the way (turns out there’s a lot of them in public health!). Hope you enjoy these few memories.
Suzanne Gilbert, our esteemed Senior Director at Seva Foundation, has made the heartfelt decision to retire from her staff position, effective June 2024.
She made this decision in June of 2023, and we have spent the past year preparing for this significant transition. Suzanne’s unwavering commitment to our mission since Seva’s founding in 1978 has been nothing short of extraordinary. Her innovative spirit has been a driving force behind Seva as a volunteer, Executive Director, Program Director, Research Director, and Seva ambassador globally.
Only social equity, stronger economies, and rediscovered dignity.
Photo by Joe Raffanti.
Eyesight influences most aspects of daily life, from the playground to the job-site, infancy to old age. It’s alarming, then, that one-quarter of the global population – 2.2 billion people – are living with vision impairment, and only half of those get the care they need. More women are affected than men, and the numbers increase sharply with age. Without significant investment in preventative actions, these numbers are projected to increase to 1.8 billion by 2050, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
Photo by Joe Raffanti: Youn (left) and Nheab (right) share a laugh.
Cows, chickens, dogs, kids both human and four-legged play and hang out in the fields of Kansaeng, a corner of Siem Reap, Cambodia that leans on agriculture—and women—for its livelihood.
