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Optometry Giving Sight funds projects in US
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Optometry Giving Sight’s U.S. National Committee has identified six new projects, two of which are in the U.S., to receive nearly $250,000 in funding, according to an OGS press release.
One of the domestic projects is a partnership with the Special Olympics Lions Club International Opening Eyes program to provide a comprehensive vision screening service to athletes with intellectual disabilities in the U.S. and disability vision care training for the volunteer eye care practitioners in the program.
Funds have also been allocated for the Illumination Foundation’s Mobile Eye Care Clinic project in Orange County, Calif., to purchase equipment to support large- and small-scale eye care clinics that provide treatment for uninsured, homeless and impoverished individuals.
Four other projects focus on El Salvador and Haiti, according to the press release. A child eye screening project in El Salvador delivered by local NGO Fudem will screen and provide glasses to 64,000 children from extremely poor communities and train 1,400 teachers, parents, health promoters and community leaders in basic visual health care and awareness.
A separate project will seek to build the capacity and infrastructure of an optical shop model being developed by VisionSpring to deliver services to remote communities in El Salvador.
Funds have also been allocated to provide equipment for an optical lab in Cap Haitien, Haiti, in conjunction with U.S. NGO and Vision for the Poor, and a vision entrepreneurs pilot project through VOSH Pennsylvania to deliver prescription eye wear and sunglasses to poor people in remote parts of Haiti.
Optometry Giving Sight also provides ongoing support for VOSH International projects in Latin America and projects in Africa and Asia.
“We are truly delighted to be able to identify such a broad range of worthy projects in the U.S. and our region, and it is only possible because of the current and ongoing support that we receive from our colleagues in the profession and industry,” Mary Anne Murphy, OD, national committee chairperson, said in the press release. “I encourage everyone to support our fundraising activities throughout the year so that we can deliver on our commitments to help millions of people who are blind or vision impaired simply because they can’t access an eye exam and glasses from a locally trained optometrist or other eye care professional.”
Dr. Murphy added that Optometry Giving Sight currently funds 42 eye and vision care projects in 24 countries.
To learn more about Optometry Giving Sight, visit www.givingsight.org or call (800) OGS-GIVE.
This information is provided by Primary Care Optometry News as a service to its readers.