Tag: Kate Moynihan

How the Young Will See Their Future – and the cost to all of us if they don’t

Posted on by Kate Moynihan
Photo of David Mukisa by Joe Raffanti.
Photo by Joe Raffanti: From the age of two, David Mukisa from Busia, Uganda, lived with poor eyesight, affecting every aspect of his young life. When he was seven, his mother joined a group traveling to Seva-supported Benedictine Eye Hospital. There, he was diagnosed with cataracts, and received bilateral cataract surgeries for free. “Fortunately he could be treated, even though I didn’t have money,” said David’s mom Alexia. ”A great weight has been lifted from my heart.”

Last month, the Seva Foundation and The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness released a groundbreaking report revealing a striking truth:

Children with vision loss learn at half the rate of those with good or corrected vision. Put another way – every year, 6.3 million school years are lost due to uncorrected vision, amounting to $173 billion in future earnings each year. Imagine the impact if those kids could simply see the board. What innovations would emerge? What challenges could these young minds overcome?

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Seva at WHO SPECS 2030

Posted on by Kate Moynihan

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.

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Letter from the Executive Director – Spring 2024

Posted on by Kate Moynihan

Friends of Seva,

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.

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525,600 minutes. 525,000 moments so clear.

Posted on by Kate Moynihan
Photo by Apurva Shroff: Before receiving a pair of eyeglasses, 10-year-old Arnav struggled with his schoolwork. With clear sight, he now performs at the top of his class and wants to be a doctor in the future.

Happy New Year!

The subject line references “Rent,” a Broadway musical that asks how you measure a life in a year. What can a talented and committed team of public health non-profit professionals accomplish in 365 days? Frankly – a lot. Over the past year, we’ve taken inventory of our collective efforts with Seva and partners, and I want to share a few highlights with you: 

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Letter from the Executive Director – Spring 2023

Posted on by Kate Moynihan
“There is truly no gift greater than sight – Seva can reach the most remote places where there was no eye care before.” – Ram Prasad Kandel,Former Program Director, Seva Nepal

In January 2023 I traveled to Nepal. The purpose was to meet with our program partners and the Seva staff. We used this time together to discuss our eye care roadmap for the country. 

When painted against the fact that this coming Fall we can finally celebrate the anniversary of the seminal Seva Nepal Blindness Study, the conversations and connection become more of a homecoming than a traditional field visit. 

Back in 1980, Seva founders (scientists, activists and academics) joined forces with the World Health Organization and the government of Nepal thanks to funding from the Netherlands. The results were published in our landmark report, The Epidemiology of Blindness in Nepal, and several journal articles. These findings became a key component, and dare I say, influencer, of the World Health Organization’s Nepal Blindness Program.

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Seva is honored by the Government of Cambodia!

Posted on by Seva Foundation
Cambodia

Seva Foundation was honored with four national awards from the Government of Cambodia, signed by the King and the Prime Minister, in recognition of over two decades of restoring sight throughout the country. At a ceremony that coincided with World Sight Day, the following Seva team members were honored:

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