Unite For Sight
| Founded | 2000 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Jennifer Staple-Clark |
| Type | Non-governmental organization |
| Location | |
Area served | more than 1.2 million people and 43,000 surgeries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America |
| Mission | Empowering communities worldwide to improve eye health and eliminate preventable blindness |
| Website | uniteforsight.org |
Unite for Sight is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by Jennifer Staple-Clark specializing in healthcare delivery to communities around the world to eliminate patient barriers to care. Partnering with local clinics in Ghana, India, and Honduras, Unite for Sight invests human and financial resources in the social ventures of the local healthcare professionals. On a daily, year-round basis, eye care is brought to remote villages by the local eye doctors. As of July 2011, Unite for Sight has assisted more than 1.2 million people, including over 43,000 vision-restoring surgeries.
Volunteer Abroad
The Global Impact Corps is a volunteer abroad program that places students and professionals with Unite For Sight’s local eye clinic partners. After completing global health training, Global Impact Fellow volunteers travel to one of the three country locations to support and assist the local eye doctors as they deliver eye care to patients living in extreme poverty.
Global Impact Fellows can also work with Unite For Sight to design and implement a global health research study in the Global Impact Lab. Primarily students, these research volunteers work with Unite For Sight, the partner eye clinic, and a university mentor, and they also are required to receive Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval. Global Impact Fellows complete and receive a Certificate in Global Health Research, preparing them for critical issues with research in the developing world. Many fellows go on to publish and present their findings at research conferences and in academic journals.
In India, volunteers have the option of participating in either Dhenkanal, Orissa, or in Patna, Bihar. In Dhenkanal, Global Impact Fellows work with Kalinga Eye Hospital and Research Centre (KEHRC), which was founded by social entrepreneur Sarang Samal. Kalinga Eye Hospital provides healthcare to the seven districts of central Orissa, which has a population of 7 million people. In Dhenkanal, Global Impact Fellows partake in NGO management programs while directly learning about sustainable health care. In Patna, fellows work alongside Dr. Satyajit Sinha (a cataract and glaucoma specialist), ophthalmologist Dr. Ajit Sinha, and Dr. Pooja Sinha (retina specialist) in the A.B. Eye Institute to provide free eye care to poor patients, free surgery at the charity clinic, and help at the Bihar Netraheen Parishad school for blind girls.
The Ghana program with Unite for Sight includes three eye clinics in Accra, one in Kumasi, and one in Tamale. Global Impact Fellows work with ophthalmic nurses and optometrists of the eye clinics to provide eye care in rural villages that are located 1–8 hours from each eye clinic. The patients receive eye care from the local eye doctors.
In Honduras, Global Impact Fellows work with Centro de Salud Integral Zoe, which is based in Tegucigalpa. Eye care outreaches are provided in remote villages, and Global Impact Fellow volunteers work alongside the local eye doctors to provide eye care to approximately 100 patients each day.[1]
In August 2012, Unite For Sight finalized a partnership with Global eyeglasses, an online eyeglasses retailer. As part of this partnership Global Eyeglasses would provide Unite for Sight with 50 new prescription eyeglasses every month. Monthly donations of prescription eyeglasses will benefit those who live in poverty and have access to care through Unite For Sight’s programs.[2][3]
Global Health University
Global Health University is an online library of certificate programs, as well as in-person workshops, social enterprise counseling, fellowship and internship opportunities, and online courses of topics ranging from Global Health Practice to Responsible NGO Management. GHU also includes the Global Health Leadership Society, which brings together professionals and students involved in public health, providing a platform for individuals committed to excellence in global health to network.[4]
Global Health and Innovation Conference
The Global Health & Innovation Conference is Unite for Sight's annual conference bringing together more than 2,200 participants from over 55 countries. The conference is the world’s largest global health conference and largest social entrepreneurship conference.[5]
National Chapters
Chapters across North America are led by college, graduate, and high school students serving as advocates for reducing barriers to healthcare. Volunteers can opt for a Community-Based Chapter Track or a Global Health Chapter Track.
Community-Based volunteers partner with local teachers to help the teachers identify visual issues among their students. Chapters work to inform teachers about resources that provide free eye care for children. Volunteers also train staff at local community centers to arrange for free eye care from professional organizations like the American Academy of Ophthalmology (EyeCare America) and American Optometric Association (VisionUSA). Community-Based Track Chapters also fundraise, and 100% provides eye care for patients living in extreme poverty.
Global Health Chapter Volunteers focus on fundraising to provide sight-restoring surgeries by Unite For Sight’s partner eye clinics. Chapters also hold informative global health events and activities.[6]
References
- ↑ "Volunteer Abroad"
- ↑ http://www.globaleyeglasses.com/blog/tips-advice/global-eyeglasses-finalizes-a-second-rx-eyeglasses-donation-partnership-with-unite-for-sight/
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
- ↑ "Global Health University"
- ↑ "Global Health and Innovation Conference"
- ↑ "National Chapters"