Grey Mist Lifting

A Weekly Blog About Lives Changed Through Eye Care

Mar 08 2013
Brian Foster, Interim President and CEO

Women, water and the Run for “Well”ness

by Brian Foster, Interim President and CEO
Tyler, Dean, Jenelle and Rita Loewen

Tyler, Dean, Jenelle and Rita Loewen

Today is International Women’s Day and we’re talking water. Why? In areas where water is scarce, it is usually women and girls who are responsible for fetching water. This often involves walking several kilometres each day with the very present danger of being attacked by wild animals. And for girls, it means they either miss a lot of school or aren’t enrolled at all.

Thankfully, we have amazing donors who are committed to changing this situation.

Dean Loewen and his team have created their own Race for a Reason – the Run for “Well”ness for which they’ll complete the Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon or 5K race on June 23. Their goal is to raise $15,000 for our Zambia well projects!

Dean, who serves as president of the Mechanical Contractors Association of British Columbia (MCABC), was inspired to put together the team by an old friend Brad Diggens. Brad, chairman of the Mechanical Contractors Association of Canada (MCAC), made Operation Eyesight the MCAC’s charity of choice for the duration of his term. They focus their support for the Zambia wells program.

“When I first heard about the partnership with Operation Eyesight, I didn’t see the connection between eyes and wells,” explains Dean. “As I sat back and listened, I began to understand how wells tie into cleanliness and eyesight. Then Brad announced last year that he and his daughter were hiking the West Coast Trail for Operation Eyesight.”

Dean continues, “I loved what Brad was doing by tying his charity work into his health, fitness and family. I got into health and fitness about four years ago, thanks to my wife Rita. Now, I run and work out regularly. So I thought ‘what a dream to be able to do something with my daughter and wife!’”

Dean, being the go-getting type, made it happen. And it wasn’t enough to do it himself… he challenged members of MCABC to join him for their Race for a Reason. To date, 13 have taken up the challenge, including his wife and daughter Jenelle! They’ll also be promoting the race at MCABC’s upcoming chapter meetings, provincial conference and golf tournament. And Dean has extended the invitation to anyone who’d like to join them: “Everyone is welcome!”

On behalf of the women and communities in Zambia who will benefit from their incredible spirit and dedication, we say a huge “thank you!” to Dean and his MCABC team.

Stay tuned for updates about Dean and his team’s progress.  To support or join the Run for “Well”ness, click here.

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Mar 01 2013
Lynne Dulaney, Director of Communications

Don’t take blindness sitting down: An interview with our board chair

by Lynne Dulaney, Director of Communications

Commitment and energy are precious commodities for most of us. An organization’s mission and vision need to personally resonate for volunteers to invest their valuable time.

That’s why we were so appreciative when Dan Parlow – who is both a busy Vancouver lawyer and the chair of Operation Eyesight Canada – was able to come to Calgary for last week’s board of directors’ meeting. It was great to have him here in person, rather than conference calling into the meeting as he and many of our board members usually do.

Dan sat down with our staff to talk about why the cause of avoidable blindness is important to him, and why he commits his leadership and vision to our organization.

Daniel S. Parlow, chair of Operation Eyesight Canada, is a partner with the Vancouver legal firm Kornfeld Mackoff Silber LLP. We thank him, and all our board members, for their commitment to our mission!

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Feb 22 2013
Lynne Dulaney, Director of Communications

Adventure awaits on the El Camino journey

by Lynne Dulaney, Director of Communications
Joan and Gerry are on a mission, and a little snow won’t stop them!

Joan and Gerry are on a mission, and a little snow won’t stop them!

Joan Taylor and Gerry Wright of Campbell River, B.C. had no idea what awaited them when Joan opened the Winter 2013 edition of our SightLines newsletter. On the back page was the opportunity to check off a huge bucket list item – walking the El Camino de Santiago in Spain.

“Here were two things I love dearly: Operation Eyesight and the El Camino. I thought, ‘we have to do this.’” explains Joan. “Timing wise it wasn’t all that great because it was less than two weeks after we get back from another holiday, but sometimes in life you just have to do it!”

Joan has been an Operation Eyesight supporter for about 11 years, and has a very personal connection to our mission. Her mother suffered from vision loss due to macular degeneration, so she knows how difficult it can be to manage without vision. Not only that, Joan manages a long-term care facility and works with people who struggle every day because they have lost their eyesight.

“My mom and I were extremely close,” explains Joan. “When she turned 80, my siblings and I decided to give five people the gift of sight from Operation Eyesight in mom’s honour.”

Joan continues: “She was so touched that she cried every time she told somebody about the gifts. She couldn’t get over how you could change someone’s life for such a small amount of money. I was hooked on Operation Eyesight after that.”

As for the El Camino Race for a Reason, it was a perfect solution for Joan and Gerry. They had been hoping to do it – especially after seeing Martin Sheen’s movie “The Way” – but the 30 to 45 days it takes to do the entire trail was daunting. Our 10-day trek was the answer!

To prepare, Joan and Gerry train every day. “It’s not easy! When you’re done work at 5 p.m. and it’s blowing and howling and pouring freezing rain, training is a challenge. But, so what?” laughs Joan. “It’s a great cause and we’re really happy to do it.”

They’ve also tapped their networks to raise the donation portion of the trip. And it’s paid off – they’ve already surpassed their fundraising goal more than two months before the deadline! Joan explains, “Nothing like working under pressure! It’s really touching to see the people who have stepped forward to support. I can’t tell you how deeply touched we are.”

Joan and Gerry’s El Camino adventure has just begun, so check back for updates. And they aren’t the only Operation Eyesight supporters getting ready for a Race for a Reason. Stay tuned for more inspirational stories of adventure and camaraderie in the coming weeks!

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Feb 08 2013
Lynne Dulaney, Director of Communications

Sight and love in an Indian slum

by Lynne Dulaney, Director of Communications

Gaddam Naresh was devastated. The 28-year-old resident of Hyderabad’s Fatehnagar slum had just learned that his marriage proposal had been rejected because of his poor vision. His sweetheart’s family didn’t think he could provide for her.

And he couldn’t really argue with them. Gaddam’s income from driving an auto rickshaw had dropped dramatically since he’d stopped driving at night – he couldn’t see very well and was afraid that he’d cause an accident.

After Gaddam’s father died, he became the chief breadwinner for his mother and two brothers. He felt that he didn’t have time to get his eyes checked because it would take time away from work.

When Vijaya Lakshmi, an Operation Eyesight community health worker, checked his eyes, she saw the problem immediately – cataract. She explained the condition and the surgery required to correct it, and recommended he attend the free screening clinic happening the next day.

Following Vijaya’s advice, Gaddam soon found himself on his way to Operation Eyesight partner LV Prasad’s secondary eye hospital with a member of our project team. He had surgery on Sept. 6, 2012 and regained 20/20 vision the very next day!

Gaddam is back driving his auto rickshaw at all hours of the day and night, earning additional money for his youngest brother’s education and to gain permission to marry his chosen bride. “Because of you, I have regained my confidence. I can see properly, support my family and will marry my sweetheart,” rejoices Gaddam.

Perhaps we can soon add “matchmaker” to the long list of Operation Eyesight donor accomplishments!

Isn’t that a great love story? Valentine’s Day is just a couple of weeks away, so check out our Gift Guide to give your sweetheart a life-changing gift today!

Hopefully these flower wedding garlands are in Gaddam’s future! See the original image here.

Hopefully these flower wedding garlands are in Gaddam’s future! See the original image here.

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Feb 01 2013
Lynne Dulaney, Director of Communications

Gates Foundation reinforces importance of evaluation

by Lynne Dulaney, Director of Communications

When one of the world’s most active and generous philanthropists stresses the importance of evaluation, people sit up and pay attention.

Earlier this week on the Gates Foundation website, Bill Gates focussed his 2013 annual letter on “Measuring Progress.” He wrote, “In the past year, I have been struck by how important measurement is to improving the human condition. You can achieve incredible progress if you set a clear goal and find a measure that will drive progress toward that goal….”

This topic really encouraged us. Measurement happens to be a fundamental element of Operation Eyesight’s philosophy.

Monitoring in action: the tiny Kenyan village of Ongata Naado has seen great progress since Operation Eyesight drilled a well to combat trachoma in 2007. Click the link to read more.

Monitoring in action: the tiny Kenyan village of Ongata Naado has seen great progress since Operation Eyesight drilled a well to combat trachoma in 2007. Click to read more.

We too believe that providing health care in developing countries shouldn’t mean settling for substandard care. Since our beginning in 1963, our international development organization has had a long history of providing “the best for the poorest” in the countries where we work; and today, our eye care models meet or exceed World Health Organization (WHO) standards and benchmarks.

To use some of Gates’ words, “… setting clear goals, choosing an approach, measuring results, and then using those measurements to continually refine our approach…” has helped Operation Eyesight develop models and services appropriate for all the countries where we work. In India, our Hospital-Based Community Eye Health programs are a stellar example of this, as is our SAFE strategy implementation in Africa.

We also make sure our results don’t end with our own programs. Operation Eyesight nurtures strong partnerships with hospitals and NGOs that have a reputation for leadership. All our partners must agree to use international health and surgical protocols with an objective to achieving international standards in results. Such measurements are critical to developing eye care that is comprehensive, sustainable and accessible to all.

As Gates notes, “[O]ne of the greatest benefits of measurement [is] the ability it gives government leaders to make comparisons across countries and then learn from the best.” We work closely with governments and systems within our countries of intervention, so that our models can be emulated, supported and potentially sustained within government infrastructure.

It all boils down to working ourselves out of business; when we feel our work in a country or project is complete, we move on to another area of greatest need. Today, as we celebrate 50 years of operations, we are seeing the benefits of our commitment to evaluation in our programs.

Operation Eyesight is confident that our successful models of comprehensive, quality eye services will provide the answer to the age-old tragedy of avoidable blindness.

We’d like to thank Mr. Gates for focusing attention on the important topic of evaluation. We look forward to more of his insights in the future!

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Jan 25 2013
Lorie Gibson, Vice-President of International Programs

A second look at life

by Lorie Gibson, Vice-President of International Programs

For a senior citizen, developing cataracts must be a shock, especially after a lifetime of relatively good vision. Think of the things you’d miss if you couldn’t see… family and friends, pets, reading, cooking, the beauties of nature and the bright blue sky.

Now, imagine you live in India or Africa, where many families are too poor to save for even a one-time surgery like a cataract operation. Even if family members are able to come up with the money, they may be unwilling to spend on surgery for elders, especially women. It’s a sad reality in developing countries: even though cataract occurs slightly more often in women, there is often gender inequality in those who actually receive surgery.

Luckily, this was not the case for 75-year old Meena Davi. Meena lives in the village of Goshal, in the high mountain ranges of Himachal Pradesh, India.

Over the past five years, she developed cataracts in both eyes, making her completely blind and unable to perform day-to-day activities.

“My life came to a standstill; it was all dark,” Meena explains. “I could not move about and was confined to a small space. I had to call someone from the family to accompany me, even to the bathroom.”

Though her family is poor, her son-in-law took time off work to accompany Meena to Maya Dass Shiv Dass Rotary Eye Hospital in hopes that the staff could help her.

Thanks to Operation Eyesight’s generous donors, Meena had cataract surgery on both eyes over the span of a couple of weeks. Now, she can see again!

“I am very thankful to everyone who contributed to bringing this hospital to such a remote and mountainous region. Thanks to the hospital, I have a second life,” Meena says.

“My family and I are grateful to the people of Canada, whose generosity helped bring us this hospital that is giving quality services in this area.”

Thank you to our donors for supporting Maya Dass Shiv Dass Rotary Eye Hospital and giving people like Meena a future free from avoidable blindness!

Meena with a Maya Dass Shiv Dass community health worker.

Meena with a Maya Dass Shiv Dass community health worker.

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Jan 18 2013
Lynne Dulaney, Director of Communications

‘Asante Sana!’

by Lynne Dulaney, Director of Communications
Chebochok

Chebochok is happy to be discharged from hospital.

Living in remote and rural areas can isolate some elderly Africans, leaving them vulnerable to health issues. When a caring relative can help them get to medical care, it can make a world of difference in their lives.

I met Simon Metei and his 89-year old father, Chebochok, in the town of Eldoret, Kenya. Simon had taken time off from his job at a carnation plantation to bring his father from his home in Ziwa, a village 40 km north, to see the ophthalmologists at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital.

Chebochok had cataract surgery on his left eye the day before I met him, and had just been discharged from the hospital. He didn’t speak any English, but he smiled shyly at me while Simon translated for his father.

“My father never went to school, but he can count to 6,000. This old man – Baba mzee – worked for many years, keeping accounts for a cattle rancher. In 2002, he had his right eye operated on for cataract. That same year, his left eye started to fail. My father can see much more clearly today.”

Simon and Chebochok Metei appreciate Operation Eyesight’s donors!

Simon and Chebochok Metei appreciate Operation Eyesight’s donors!

Simon told Chebochok about Operation Eyesight, and how his surgery was sponsored by generous donors. The elder Metei smiled and nodded to me. Simon translated, “My father appreciates the work that you do. He’s very happy to meet you; he knows you’ve helped him.”

We talked for awhile longer, and Simon ended up giving me an impromptu Swahili language lesson. He was delighted when I was able to respond correctly.

Om his father’s behalf, Simon told me, “Asante sana!” [Thank you very much] and with his prompting, I was able to reply, “Karibu sana!” [You’re welcome!]

On behalf of Operation Eyesight and our donors, you are very welcome!

Want to learn a few more Swahili words?

• Jambo: Hello
• Rafiki: friend
• Sawa sawa: okay; that’s great
• Tadfahali: please
• Macho: eyes
• Kidogo: a little
• Picha: photo
• Chakula tamu: good food
• Mzee: elderly person
• Baba mzee: old man
• Mama mzee: old woman
• Kwaheri: goodbye

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Jan 11 2013
Lorie Gibson, Vice-President of International Programs

A-B-SEE: A toddler gains a future

by Lorie Gibson, Vice-President of International Programs

Two-year-old Logar and his family live in the remote village of Moili in northwestern India.

Little Logar was born blind with congenital cataracts, likely due to a combination of malnutrition and poverty. He couldn’t play with other children and would be unable to go to school or work in the future. There wasn’t much of a future for this little fellow.

Tragically, Logar’s father and aunt are also blind as a result of congenital cataracts and are afraid to have surgery. His mother Dhulki and grandfather work hard to support the family, but they still live in extreme poverty.

While his father and aunt accept their choice to remain in darkness, Logar’s mother and grandfather weren’t prepared to accept that fate for the youngster. His grandfather heard about medical help available at Operation Eyesight’s hospital-based community eye health program, located at nearby Ogna clinic.

Since Logar required specialized pediatric surgery, the family made the long 90-km journey to Alakh Nayan Mandir Eye Institute for cataract surgeries. The hospital, funded by Operation Eyesight’s generous donors, is an advanced secondary care centre that serves the underprivileged people of the region.

Dhulki is thrilled with the results of her son’s surgeries. “Before the operations, Logar used to fall; but now that he can see, he can walk alone,” she explains. “He has started to play with his friends.”

This formerly blind toddler will be ready to go to school in a few years. Thanks to our donors, his future is bright!

Did you know? Almost 65 percent of the people in Logar’s region of India live below the poverty line.

Once recovered from his eye surgeries, Logar will be able to see a bright future!

Once recovered from his eye surgeries, Logar will be able to see a bright future!

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Jan 04 2013
Brian Foster, Interim President and CEO

Fireworks for 50!

by Brian Foster, Interim President and CEO

Light the fireworks! Throw the confetti! Strike up the band… Operation Eyesight turns 50 this year!

Okay, in reality the celebrations might be a bit lower-key than that. But I’m sure you’ll agree, 50 years of preventing avoidable blindness is an occasion worth celebrating!

Back in 1963, a Canadian doctor named Ben Gullison inspired businessman Art Jenkyns to found Operation Eyesight right here in Calgary, Alberta.

I knew both of these dedicated men, and worked closely with Art. They would be delighted that this once-tiny charity has evolved into an international development organization that has brought light and hope to millions and millions of people in the developing world. As the expression goes, “From small beginnings come great things.”

Of course, we could not have reached this 50th anniversary milestone without our donors’ continued strong support of our mission to eliminate avoidable blindness.

On behalf of all of us at Operation Eyesight and our partners in India, Kenya, Zambia and Ghana, our warmest “thank you!” for your continued support. Because of you, there are people who will never go blind. Now THAT certainly warrants a celebration!

While we don’t have a crystal ball to predict what the next 50 years will bring, one thing is certain: Our successful models of comprehensive, quality eye services will provide the answer to the heartbreaking yet preventable issue of avoidable blindness. And we hope our generous supporters will be there with us, as together, we work towards the day when all the world can see.

Thank you for your support as we enter our 50th year of preventing avoidable blindness in the world’s poorest countries! Read more about Operation Eyesight’s history here; and watch for more anniversary news throughout the year.

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