Each year, vision loss robs low- and middle-income countries of an estimated $1 trillion in productivity. Yet we know that 90% of vision loss is preventable, often with solutions as simple as a pair of eyeglasses or a $50 cataract surgery. The evidence is unequivocal: restoring sight is not only a matter of health—it is one of the most effective poverty-fighting strategies we possess.
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By the time you read this, a new eye hospital will have opened in Quiché, Guatemala. It’s part of Guatemala Brillando—a bold 10-year, $55 million initiative by Seva Foundation and partner-on-the-ground Visualiza to create the first self-sustaining national eye care network in Central America.
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Every day, because of you, more people are seeing clearly – some for the first time ever.
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In Pachalum, Guatemala, a proud rural community of hardworking farmers and expert weavers united by shared traditions, a new Vision Center is opening doors to clearer sight and brighter futures.
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To sew is to imagine what could be – how vibrant green cotton and purple thread might come together to create something beautiful. For Sebastiani Ramos Quilaja, a warm-hearted K’iche’ woman with a gift for sewing, it was a way to tell stories, preserve her Guatemalan tradition, and bring joy.
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Dear Seva and Remidio,
I was just soaking in the sights and sounds of Bengaluru, India when, bam, I got the call we Pristine 5.0 cameras wait for – the Burundi eye clinic was finally ready for my arrival.
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At just 15, Emily faced a life-changing challenge when she suddenly lost her sight after years of watery, itchy eyes. Unable to attend school or work, she spent months at home, unsure of what her future might hold.
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Today, there are an estimated 476 million indigenous peoples worldwide, speaking 4,000 of the world’s languages. No two communities are the same, and neither are their eye care needs. In the U.S. and around the world, Seva partners directly with indigenous communities to co-create eye care interventions. Indigenous partners lead conversations, sharing their knowledge, experiences, lived realities, and challenges in accessing eye care. Together, we collaborate on solutions that lead to culturally competent and lasting eye care programs.
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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.
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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
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