Himalayan Cataract Project E-News: December 2011Here you will find news on the latest international eye care activities from the Himalayan Cataract Project (HCP). This month’s newsletter includes summaries on the following:
- Eye care in South Sudan
- Dr. Tabin speaks at “The World in 2012 Gala Dinner” in Hong Kong
- HCP visits partner in Ghana
- HCP Procurement works with FHF programs in Laos
- Donor stories
Eye care in South Sudan | | 
Dr. Geoff Tabin with a pleased patient in South Sudan. Photo by Ace Kvale.
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HCP succeeded in its long-term goal of providing much needed eye care in South Sudan where it is estimated that 10% of the population is completely blind. Co-Director Dr. Geoff Tabin worked with colleagues from the John Dau Foundation and the Moran Eye Center to manage an eye care workshop at the Duk Lost Boys Health Clinic in Duk County. The HCP has worked with the John Dau Foundation since 2008, including training two ophthalmic assistants from Duk County at the Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology in Kathmandu, Nepal.
The team provided 200 sight-restoring cataract surgeries and 100 trichiasis surgeries for trachoma in a village with no running water and no electricity. The youngest patient was 14 months old and the oldest was 92. Most patients were led in by sticks and walked away on their own.
For additional news coverage and photos from South Sudan, please visit the News section of our website.
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HCP in South Sudan. Photos by Ace Kvale.
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Dr. Tabin speaks at “The World in 2012 Gala Dinner” in Hong KongDr. Geoff Tabin was a featured speaker at The Economist Magazine’s “The World in 2012 Gala Dinner” in Hong Kong. Dr. Tabin and other distinguished guests shared their visions for 2012 during an exciting evening of intellectual entertainment. More details on the event are found on The Economist website. HCP visits partner in Ghana | | 
Job Heintz meets with the A&E consultant and contractors.
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Earlier this month, CEO Job Heintz and Project Manager Pam Clapp met with partners at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) to discuss our collaborative efforts dedicated to eliminating curable blindness in northern Ghana. They checked on construction of the surgical training facility, worked with partners to prepare for the commodities procurement phase of the project (supported by a grant from USAID/ASHA), planned for the facility’s May 2012 inauguration and worked with the clinical leadership on the residency training program. They also met with Dr. Boateng Wiafe, Operation EyeSight Universal’s Regional Director for Africa, to discuss ways to collaborate and ramp up efforts to eliminate the backlog of needless blindness in Ghana. HCP Procurement works with FHF programs in LaosBill Shields, HCP’s Chief of Procurement, traveled to Laos on assignment with partners from The Fred Hollows Foundation (FHF) to support efforts to improve eye care in four provinces. Bill was accompanied by Kristien Ottewill, FHF’s Construction and Ophthalmic Equipment Coordinator. Together they worked with local FHF partners to train ophthalmic nurses and technicians, review and document existing cataloging systems for ophthalmic equipment, and review the 2012 FHF ophthalmic budget requests from four provincial hospitals.
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Bill teaching nurses and technicians who serve the four provincial hospitals in northern Laos.
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The workshop was given at Oudomxai the regional capital.
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HCP donor raises $10,000 to support remote eye camps | | 
Mary Beth (MB)
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Andrew (Drew)
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HCP donor Drew Hosea created a fundraising page to raise money in his sister’s memory for what would have been her 40th birthday. Mary Beth Hosea was nearly blind at the end of her life due to a malignant brain tumor.
“I saw what that required of my family ... to simply care and watch out for her ... so, knowing that others are blind, of 'preventable' diseases ... struck me as a fantastic opportunity to make a significant impact on the lives of other families around the world ... and to help as God has blessed me and my family ... so that others may have an opportunity to enjoy life to its fullest ... and yes, in an incredible memory to my sister ... who inspired this amazing and continuing journey!”
—Drew Hosea
HCP will use the funds for two upcoming eye camps in Ethiopia. Thank you, Drew! HCP donor donates proceeds of coin collectionThe following is excerpted from a letter we received from a former patient of Dr. Tabin’s in Vermont and a longtime HCP supporter.
“Liz and I felt we'd like to ‘invest’ some of returns from my Grandfather's coin collection into the work you are doing at Himalayan Cataract Project. He first arrived in Soochow (Suzhou) China in 1909 where he helped grow the hospital there. He energetically raised both a family and funds for hospital improvements and expansions, even building a brick factory to supply the necessary materials. When a source of milk was required, he imported cows and established a dairy. My Grandfather's well-deserved reputation as a surgeon was much larger than life. We know he would share our admiration for your work and for the energy Dr. Tabin, in particular, devotes to it.”
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An eye patient in Malawi after surgery.
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The Himalayan Cataract Project works to eradicate preventable and curable blindness through high quality ophthalmic care, education and the establishment of a world-class eye care infrastructure.
Please visit our Web site at www.cureblindness.org to keep up with the latest HCP news. There you will also find information on HCP’s finances, its founders, staff and board members, and ways that you can give the gift of sight.
Remember, through the Himalayan Cataract Project it takes a gift of only $20 to provide life-changing cataract surgery to someone struggling with blindness in the developing world. |
