Photo above: Call for Ideas launch in Kampala, Uganda.
Seva’s Call for Ideas (CFI) is a powerful tool for uncovering locally driven, innovative solutions that expand access to eye care. Since its launch in 2019 with Native Nations, CFI has grown to include global technology rounds and regional initiatives.
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.
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.
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.
A First-of-Its-Kind Plan to Eliminate Avoidable Blindness in Guatemala
Globally, 1.1 billion people live with vision impairment. In remote communities and developing countries, where access to eye care is limited, this can lead to generations of hardship. Today, we stand at an important moment in history – the beginning of the end of avoidable blindness, first in Guatemala, then across the world.
A girl in Guatemala has her eyes examined. Photo by Joe Raffanti.
The International Association of Blindness (IAPB) created the Vision Excellence Award to commemorate the end of its 21-year global initiative, VISION 2020: A Right to Sight. In recognition of their life-changing, world-transforming work in the field of humanitarian eye care, IAPB has recognized a total of ten Seva team members and partners with the prize.
“On behalf of the whole Seva family, congratulations to these extraordinary sight leaders and practitioners,” says Kate Moynihan, Executive Director of Seva Foundation. “Seva staff and partners consistently set the standard for patient-centered vision care. Today’s award winners share the commitment and quality of work that brings access to sustainable eye care to millions of individuals and their communities worldwide. I can’t wait to see how – together – we will continue to change the world.”
Thank you for supporting Seva and making these incredible accomplishments possible!
Visualiza, Seva’s partner in Guatemala, is converting ambulances into mobile diagnostic clinics to provide home visits to neighborhoods who otherwise are unable to visit the clinic.
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to be one of the most pressing global health challenges of our time. Seva is thankful for all the brave frontline and essential workers who have tirelessly risked their lives in support of others. We are also thankful for you and your continued support in ensuring that our partners receive the vital resources they need in the face of this crisis.
On a recent Friday morning, Seva hosted a Cyber Synergy Series session with world-class experts – Dr. Larry Brilliant, Dr. Samina Zamindar, and Dr. Lucia Silva, to explain in layman’s language what we can expect to see in the coming weeks and months with COVID-19, and how best we can cope with it.