Technology + Compassion = A Better World

Posted on June 27, 2022June 27, 2022 by Kate Moynihan

“Without vision the world is nothing.” – Numali

Technology allows us to look inequity in the eye and level the playing field. When combined with compassion, it transforms the lives of people thousands of miles away with a simple click of a button.

That’s the real world impact of your donation.

Sadly, vision impairment continues to rob millions of people every year of a promising future. At Seva we know that this is a solvable public health crisis. 90% of all vision loss is preventable and treatable. Our research validates that investing in eye health improves overall wellbeing, community participation, and economic outlook for families.

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Celebrating a Remarkable Woman with an Unbreakable Spirit

Posted on June 21, 2022June 17, 2022 by Seva Foundation

The only thing we love more than restoring sight is…

CELEBRATING restored sight.

We recently celebrated the resilient and brave Thamma Nagamani from India, a remarkable woman with an unbreakable spirit.

Not too long ago, Thamma tragically lost her husband from suicide after his crops were destroyed. Her heart was shattered and her life was put at a standstill; she was left with no other option but to rebuild her future, from scratch. And that’s exactly what she did.

At the same time, Thamma’s vision was deteriorating. She had trouble completing her daily tasks.

Our field staff took her to our partner hospital, where she was diagnosed with cataract and received a sight-restoring surgery. Thamma’s life today? Bright! She spends her day looking after her family and even runs her own business.

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Marking 10+ years of impact for children in India with Soor Aur Saptak

Posted on May 18, 2022 by Seva Foundation

Soor Aur Saptak’s theme this year was “Your Melody Matches Mine” – a night filled with endless music, dance, and joy – all to raise funds for Seva’s pediatric eye care programs in India.

In late February, Indian-American singing group Soor Aur Saptak (SAS) held its eleventh annual musical benefit in Portland, Oregon. The theme of this year’s benefit was “Your melody matches mine,” and rightly so. It was a captivating night of Bollywood music, dancing, and singing – all while raising funds to provide eye care for children in India.

Sandhiprakash Bhide, Founder of Soor Aur Saptak, shared, “we cannot believe it has been 11 years since we started this program back in 2012. This would not have been possible without the generous Portland community and now the world community because of our online program.”

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Our very own Kuldeep Singh is recognized as an Eye Health Hero!

Posted on May 18, 2022May 18, 2022 by Seva Foundation

Kuldeep Singh, Program Manager for India & Bangladesh, is a 2021 Eye Health Heroes – Future Leaders recipient!

Seva’s very own Kuldeep Singh, Program Manager for India & Bangladesh, was named an Eye Health Hero by the International Agency for Prevention of Blindness. This recognition celebrates change-makers, innovators, and leaders across all areas and backgrounds in eye health.

Early on, Kuldeep recognized that investing in eye care improves someone’s vision and touches on every other facet of their life. In his words, “eye care is everything!” Congrats to him on this well-deserved achievement!

“Restoring sight touches all parts of life – health, job secrurity, dignity, and opportunity. It impacts not just one person but entire families and communities. Investing in eye care is one of the most impactful development interventions and I am grateful to be part of such an incredible organization dedicated to this important mission.”
– Kuldeep Singh

Holding Half the Sky: International Women’s Day!

Posted on March 8, 2022March 14, 2022 by Kate Moynihan

Half the Sky – a book by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn published in 2009 – argues that the oppression of women worldwide is “the paramount moral challenge” of the present era. Women and girls face gender bias daily, particularly in rural communities.

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Letter from the Executive Director – Fall 2021

Posted on October 25, 2021October 25, 2021 by Kate Moynihan

We know eye health affects nearly everyone at some point in our lives. Worldwide, there are currently 1.1 billion people living with vision impairment, and hundreds of millions more have ongoing eye care needs.

Improved eye health is essential to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG for short). That means eye health is critical to achieving goals related to poverty, hunger, education, gender equality, and decent work, in addition to overall health and wellbeing. A Lancet Commission Report released earlier this year noted that the economic impact of vision impairment is massive, with a current estimated productivity loss of $411 billion per year globally.

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Excelling at Eye Care Training

Posted on October 25, 2021October 25, 2021 by Seva Foundation

Since 2008, Seva Foundation, Lions Aravind Institute of Community Ophthalmology, Aravind Eye Care System, and Ophthalmology Foundation (erstwhile ICO) have organized classroom workshops for more than 500 eye care providers, across 130 hospitals in 30 countries.

Last year we launched Eyexcel 2.0, a new-and-improved version of our “Excellence in Eye Care Training” program. Eyexcel has traditionally been an annual five-day immersion workshop designed for eye hospital trainers who teach ophthalmic support staff. Eyexcel 2.0 incorporates online components designed to supplement the in-person workshops and provides an even more in-depth social learning experience than before.

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