Evidence

Over the past five years, Seva and its partners have established 170 VCs across 12 countries, bringing access to eye care to over 21 million people.

In October, Seva surveyed 494 vision centers and hospital staff from Seva partner institutions to evaluate the impact vision centers have on quality of care, community impact, and staff satisfaction. We received a 90.5% response rate from staff across Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Latin America, and Nepal.

Seva’s Chief Epidemiologist, Dr. Kieran O’Brien, and her research team completed the initial analysis. Preliminary results indicate vision centers globally have a positive impact on the communities they serve and provide good quality of care. High levels of satisfaction were also reported among vision center staff. Differences by region and other predictors, such as use of technologies or distance between the vision center and base hospital, were observed.

In the coming month, Seva will share preliminary insights with respondents and discuss regional variations with partners. Seva and its partners will use the findings to inform operational priorities for vision centers.

Government and Multilateral Engagement

• The Government of Cambodia has again recognized Seva's work and awarded a medal of honor ‘The Royal Order of Monisaraphon’ to Seva CEO and Executive Director Kate Moynihan and Dr. Chundak Tenzing. The awards are given on the recommendation of the Minister of Health for accomplishment and considered one of the highest among five classes in the order in Cambodia.

• Kuldeep joined WHO SPECS 2030 Strategy workshop in India aimed at developing a pioneering model for SPECS implementation for LMIC. This workshop served as a platform for advancing the goals of the Global SPECS network and fostering collaboration on eye care initiatives at the state and national levels.

• Several Seva Staff members are headed to IAPB’s 2030 In Sight Live conference in Kathmandu, Nepal. IAPB’s flagship global event brings together leaders, innovators, and changemakers to discuss and take action on the 2030 In Sight Strategy.

• Kuldeep was an invited speaker at the 12th International Patient Safety Conference (IPSC) in New Delhi, India, where he participated in a session on "Safety in Eye Health." During the session, he presented Seva's efforts in improving postoperative visual outcomes as part of a long-term capacity-building initiative.

• The Pediatric Program Systematic Sibling Screening Strategies project was successfully completed. Running from April 2021 to December 2024 in Tamil Nadu, India, the program aimed to enhance pediatric eye care by implementing systematic sibling screening across tertiary, secondary, and vision centers. It focused on the early detection and intervention of hereditary eye disorders, ensuring timely treatment and rehabilitation.
  
  Key achievements included training medical personnel, establishing a robust screening protocol, integrating patient management software, and implementing telemedicine services. Vision centers were upgraded, and free spectacles and surgeries were provided to children in need. Awareness campaigns also engaged parents, schools, and healthcare professionals.
  
  The project exceeded its revised target by conducting 12,434 sibling screenings, surpassing the goal of 12,000 by the end of 2024. A total of 235 surgeries were performed out of the 313 advised, and 1,075 children received free spectacles to improve their vision. Additionally, 331 children benefited from vision therapy, ensuring comprehensive support for those in need. These achievements highlight the project's commitment to enhancing pediatric eye care through early detection, treatment, and rehabilitation. 

• Seva has received a request from the National Program for Eye Health (NPEH) of the Ministry of Health, Cambodia, to support the development of a project proposal for the country’s School of Optometry, the first school to offer a bachelor’s degree in optometry. This school aims to address the shortage of eye health professionals in Cambodia. Seva is also collaborating with other partner organizations as a member of the National Technical Working Group focused on establishing the school. Additionally, we are working with NPEH to organize a field study at the School of Optometry, LV Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad, India.

Program Operations

• The Seva Program Operations team met in person to share knowledge, challenges, lessons learned, skills, and strategies to reinforce Seva’s strategic direction and priorities for 2025 – 2029 and connect through effective team collaboration and communication.

• Seva began a virtual certificate training course for infection control officers in partnership with Nepal Ophthalmic Society this February. The six-week course will enroll 50 participants who will attend 90-minute lectures and discussions.

Technology

•  The December HIV Eye Workshop was held in Lilongwe, Malawi, where Njoki played a key role in organizing an exceptional five-day session. With support from Gena Damento, Peter Saranchuk, and David Heiden, the workshop focused on enhancing the skills of HIV clinicians. Training included identifying ocular conditions and mastering the use of the Pristine 5.0 camera for retinal imaging. This hands-on session emphasized the importance of early eye condition detection, particularly for HIV patients, to improve care and prevent complications such as blindness. It was a valuable learning experience, and we’re excited about the positive impact it will have on patient outcomes.

• Pristine cameras rolling out!  We have allocated 50 Pristine 5.0 cameras for partner locations and eight are already installed. We are managing logistics – shipping, customs, training – to ensure all cameras provide increased access to retinal imaging for patients who need it.  

Training, Capacity Building, and Learning

• Thirty-two participants from DNJ, Fundación Visión, INVIS, and Visualiza completed the LAC Management Development Program, attending weekly workshops covering project implementation skills over a 31-week period.

• The India-Nepal Joint Management Development Program successfully completed 32 weeks of blended weekly workshops, totaling 64 hours. The program engaged 45 participants from 17 hospitals—12 in India and 5 in Nepal—and focused on enhancing skills in effective communication, quality improvement, and planning and implementation.

• A Story Development workshop took place at Argakhanchi, Nepal. 18 attendees from Gulmi, Pyuthan, Palpa, and Rampur participated.

• The Dr. Suzanne Gilbert Training Academy hosted a global launch webinar on Financial Sustainability for Hospitals on February 5, 2025. The event had 160 registrations and 106 attendees from 32 hospitals and institutions across 8 countries: India, Nepal, Cambodia, the USA, Paraguay, Guatemala, Mexico, and Kenya.

Vision Centers

• Seva inaugurated the 188th Seva-supported Vision Center in India at Mundra on 31st January 2025. The VC was established in collaboration with Partner Hospital BPA, Bhuj, Gujarat. The inauguration was attended by Shradha and Kuldeep, along with the Executive Director of BPA, Director -Health and BPA team, members of the Rotary Club, and community representatives.

• “ENVISION:  Enabling Primary Eye Care through Vision Centers in India” accomplished its goal to bring eye care to an additional 4 million people by establishing 65 vision centers with support from Standard Chartered Bank. The project ran from Jan 2022 through December 2024

  The establishment of 65 Vision Centers provided 396,493 patients with eye screenings. Access to affordable eyeglasses has improved, with 74,172 patients receiving spectacles, reflecting a 72.65% acceptance rate. Timely referrals and treatments resulted in 24,406 surgeries, including 24,391 cataract procedures, restoring sight for thousands. Additionally, 169,472 patients benefited from telemedicine consultations, increasing access to care in remote areas.

  The initiative has improved community engagement and economic sustainability, generating Rs. 57,479,311 primarily through outpatient department (OPD) fees, sales of spectacles, and surgical services. The involvement of locally trained Community Health Workers has enhanced awareness, early detection, and referrals, resulting in improved access to care and reduced preventable blindness.

  A total of 155 individuals have undergone capacity-building training and been recruited to work at Vision Centers, strengthening local economies and promoting sustainability. Their expertise enhances eye health services, ensuring dedicated and skilled personnel for long-term community care. Additionally, 27 female Vision Technicians are leading Vision Centers, fostering gender inclusivity and building trust within communities. Their leadership has encouraged more women and children to seek eye care, creating a lasting impact.

Infection Control Workshop in Kathmandu

This past November, a Seva-sponsored workshop on infection control at surgical eye camps was conducted at the teaching hospital (BPK LCOS), Kathmandu.

More than 50 ophthalmologists, ophthalmic assistants, and nurses from NGOs, government, and the private sector attended. The meeting resulted in a draft of standard operating procedures for cataract surgery during surgical camps. The draft will be endorsed by the Nepal Ophthalmic Society and circulated in the country after receiving further inputs and suggestions from the participants.

Call for Ideas

Njoki Wachira, Seva’s Program Officer, African region, launched the 2024 Africa Region Call for Ideas to seek fresh approaches to increase access to quality eye care for both adults and children, with a focus on strengthening partnerships that integrate eye health into broader livelihood and learning spaces. Check out the flyer here. We have received 19 proposals so far.

Government and Multilateral Engagement

• The government of Cambodia has once again recognized Seva's work and awarded ‘The Royal Order of Monisaraphon’ to Kate Moynihan and  Dr. Chundak Tenzing. The awards are given on the recommendation of the Minister of Health for accomplishment and are considered one of the highest among five classes in the order in Cambodia.

• NITI Aayog, India’s government national planning body, invited Seva, along with other leading stakeholders in eye care, to present to their leadership the national-level eye care plan for the country.

• Seva in Nepal was invited by the Ministry of Health and Population in the dissemination of RAAB survey report and ECSAT report. Look to this space as the links are uploaded.

• SPECS - Asia Regional Director Kuldeep Singh joined WHO SPECS 2030 Strategy workshop in India aimed at developing a pioneering model for SPECS implementation for LMIC. This workshop served as a platform for advancing the goals of the Global SPECS network and fostering collaboration on eye care initiatives in the state and at the national level. Seva's ED and CEO was voted as theme lead for Workforce Development and Access.

• The Social Welfare Council completed the Final Evaluation of Seva programs between 2020 and 2024, with appreciation for the work done by Seva in Nepal.

• Seva in Nepal initiated a discussion on collaboration on Vision Centers with the Ministry of Health and Population.

  
  
  

Staff Movement

• Kuldeep traveled to Cambodia to onboard the newly recruited country director. He had a productive meeting with the National Program for Eye Health at which both Chairman and Vice Chairman lauded Seva’s work in Cambodia. They also gave assurance that they will extend all the necessary support for the new MOU renewal in the country with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to be done this year.

• Kannika (Program Coordinator, Cambodia) and Praful (Program Administrator, Nepal) attended a two-week training program at Aravind Eye Hospital, Madurai, focused on outreach management. In Delhi, they also learned Seva's outreach software platform developed with SCEH - a Tech Call for Idea winner. The app will be introduced in both countries. Their trip was part of the larger focus to strengthen the community programs in Cambodia and Nepal with direct exchanges and learnings across the region. 

• Dr. Asim Sil, Seva’s quality consultant, and Uma, Seva’s Program Officer in India, visited a partner hospital in West Bengal to conduct a quality audit

• Kuldeep traveled to Nepal to join the team in appreciating Ravindra and had a productive meeting with the CEO of Telganga Eye Institute, CEO and Secretary of Nepal Netra Jyoti Sangh (NNJS)

• Kate accompanied a major investor in Guatemala Brillando to visit the future hospital in Quiché. While there, she had a chance to strengthen ties with our local partner, Visualiza, and meet Renata, Seva’s new Program Assistant for Latin America & the Caribbean.

• Heidi traveled to Guatemala to meet Renata and to meet the CEO of DNJ, Seva’s partner in Peru. While there, she had joint discussions with DNJ and Visualiza, as well as reviewed the progress of Guatemala Brillando. The team will be incorporating the outcomes of these discussions during this quarter.

Training, Capacity Building, and Learning

• Seva Nepal continued their training initiative called “Mastering Mondays” where they focus on a specific topic each Monday as an additional resource to Nepali partners.

• The LAC Management Development Program continued through December, covering several different topics and seeing participants from DNJ, Fundación Visión and Visualiza

• India- Nepal joint Management Development Program began in November and brought several participants from hospitals in India and Nepal.

• The Seva training team started a Seva Webinar Series in November aimed at doing at least one webinar every month for our online learning communities. The first webinar was titled EFFORTLESS AI PRESENTATIONS: SIMPLIFY, ENGAGE, IMPRESS.

• In a course at LAICO on Enhancing Hospital Management through Best Practices and Innovative Approaches, the Lumbini Eye Institute and SCEH team talked about Seva's work in a remote area of Nepal at Palpa and the hills of Uttarakhand in India as an example of innovative outreach practices.

• Women Leaders in Eye Health launched another coffee hour. Heidi facilitated a lively session that explored how eye health professionals have pivoted in their careers. Seva’s Country Director for Nepal, Dr. Binita, was a featured panelist, along with Dr. Clare Gilbert of the London School of Hygiene and Tropic Medicine, and Dr. Jalikatu, the Health Minister of Sierra Leone.

• The fourth batch of eye care management fellowship was started at SNC in India with the aim to train eight professionals through a one-year-long program. 

• A total of 62 eye health personnel from 14 hospitals participated in a one-day workshop on the best infection control practices in a surgical camp led by Dr. Samina, Dr. Diwa, Dr. Binita and facilitated by Dr. Kabindra, Dr. Manisha, and Dr. Chundak Tenzing.

• Njoki participated in an exciting week of cross-learning with our implementing partners in Tanzania! The week kicked off with an adult screening outreach at Dabalo Health Centre in Chamwino District, Dodoma. Teams worked together to screen patients and engage in joint discussions. Selected cases were then attended to in the theatre, fostering valuable discussions and learnings among the surgeons. This was followed by a 3-day workshop where implementing partners from various regions presented their data, shared achievements and challenges, and collaboratively set targets and action plans for the coming year. It was a fantastic opportunity to share knowledge, strengthen partnerships, and align on goals for the future.

Evidence

• Seva and Rapid Control Trials - Lauren Jesudason, Director of Impact and Learning, launched the Vision Center Survey to more than 400 participants to understand stakeholder perspectives on the impact Vision Centers have on a range of outcomes, including: economic opportunities and quality of life for Vision Center staff; access to eye care, especially for women and children; quality of care provided at vision centers; and community screening opportunities. We received a 90.5% response rate. Seva's Chief Epidemiologist, Dr. Kieran O’Brien, and her UCSF research team conducted the initial analysis. From these results, they’ll work with Seva's leadership to assess the differences in the challenges by region and other predictors, circulate preliminary insights to the respondents, and conduct in-depth interviews to learn more.

• The RARE survey in the Lumbini Province of Nepal started with training the teams on software, data collection, and piloting the software.

Technology

• A leader in Technology - Seva was chosen to join a special program by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Total Product Life Cycle Advisory Program. Seva’s focus on understanding patient needs, proving what works, and caring deeply for others connects to this effort and everything we do.

• The December HIV Eye Workshop took place in Lilongwe, Malawi. Njoki helped to organize a fantastic five-day session focused on upskilling HIV clinicians with support from Gena Damento, Peter Saranchuk, and David Heiden. The training covered identifying ocular conditions and mastering the use of the Pristine 5.0 camera for retinal imaging. This hands-on workshop emphasized early detection of eye conditions, especially for HIV patients, to improve care and prevent complications like blindness. It was an incredible learning experience, and we’re excited about the positive impact this will have on patient outcomes.

World Sight Day Discussion Series 

Led by Claudia, Ravindra, Trish, Binita, and Chundak, the team hosted this year’s World Sight Day Discussion Series on October 2 and 17. Focused on integrating eye care into primary healthcare services and enhancing quality best practices, we saw record number of registrants eager to hear from our speakers: Dr. Shamiim Namwase from Lira Regional Referral Hospital, Dr. Don Baker from Sacred Circle Healthcare, Dr. Kiry Lom Orng from the National Program for Eye Health in Cambodia, Dr. Samina Zamindar from Zamindar Microsurgical Eye Centre, Dr. Evarista Mgaya from Bugando Medical Centre, and Dr. Kabindra Bajracharya from Lumbini Eye Institute. You can check them out through the links below: 

• Integrating eye care into primary health care services    

• Enhancing Quality Best Practices: Patient empowerment and safety 

Seva releases ground-breaking report on the importance of good vision for children 

Seva and IAPB released a report on World Sight Day that demonstrates why it is essential to invest in eye care for children. Just one of the astounding findings shows a 5-year-old who receives glasses in grade school and wears them has the potential to earn 78% more lifetime income than if they had never received glasses. You can read more about the report here. 

Representing Seva around the world 

In August, Njoki represented Seva at the COESCA Congress in Zimbabwe. In October, Heidi joined a convening on Assistive Technology that UNICEF organized in New York. Also in October, Jennifer and partners Minneapolis Public Schools and Tundra Health Initiative presented posters at the APHA conference in Minneapolis, MN. Njoki attended an IAPB/TCCV breakfast meeting in Nairobi to celebrate World Sight Day. 

Call for Ideas 

Jennifer launched the 2024 Native American Vision Call for Ideas addressing vision needs of Native Communities in the U.S. Seva is releasing awards up to $50,000 for programs of 1-3 years duration. Check out the flyer here. 

Vision Centers 

Also in October, Lauren launched the Vision Center Survey to partners to understand stakeholder perspectives on the impact vision centers have on a range of outcomes, including economic opportunities and quality of life for vision center staff, access to eye care especially for women and children, quality of care provided at vision centers, and community screening opportunities. 

Training & Capacity Building

During the month of August, the India Management Development Program Classroom Workshop took place over four days at Siliguri Greater Lions Eye Hospital. From September 20 – 21, HVD Pune initiated a two-day classroom training on Quality Consciousness.  

In September, Seva Nepal launched a new training initiative called “Mastering Mondays” where they focus on a specific topic each Monday as an additional resource to Nepali partners.  

The LAC Management Development Program continued through October, covering several different topics and reaching more than 50 participants.  

In October, Dr. Samina Zamindar, her team of doctors and experts from Seva including Dr. Binita, Dr. Diwa, and Arun hosted a four-day Training of Trainers - Six participants from six hospitals (SNC, Geta, Palpa, LEI, Bharatpur and TIO) from India and Nepal in Bengaluru, India. 

Guatemala Brillando 

Visualiza laid the foundation stone for the future Quiché Hospital and construction continues. This October, Kate had a chance to see the work happening on the ground as part of World Sight Day. We also launched the residency training program with three residents. They presented at the World Ophthalmology Congress about their work so far in August. 

Guatemala Brillando - How We’ll Get This Done

Nearly 75% of people who are blind in Guatemala suffer from preventable or curable causes. There are an estimated 2 million people with vision loss. Of these, 94,000 people are blind.

In partnership with Visualiza, “Guatemala Brillando” or “Brighter Guatemala” is a firstof-its-kind plan to systematically eliminate avoidable blindness throughout Guatemala. We are positioned to achieve it in just 10 years and the blueprint can be scaled across the world. Within these 10 years, Guatemala Brillando is estimated to develop 30 Vision Centers (VC) and 5 eye hospitals across the country. Today, there are 10 Vision Centers and plans to open a new hospital in the Quiché region.

New Children’s Eyecare Program in India

Providing quality refraction services on a continued basis is a challenge as it requires a dedicated team and continuous monitoring and follow-up. This project aims to focus on the need for refractive error services for children in the Drishti Sehi Duniya area of India via Vision Centres (VCs) and the base hospital. The proposed project will strengthen VCs, and teams will be based at VCs. 

On the day of examination at VCs, each child will undergo a complete eye check-up.  A prescription will be provided, and children can choose trendy frames. The delivery date will be three days from the refraction. Annual follow-up visits ensure that children requiring a new or changed prescription are covered, giving all children regular opportunities for eye checks.

Estimated Outputs

• Screening of 129,600 children

• Coverage of over 700 schools

• Orientation of 1,500+ school teachers

• Training of 3,000+ Vision Ambassadors

• Provision of 4,500 free or subsidized spectacles to children (estimated to meet the needs of

• approximately 3.5% of screened children)

• Performance of 75 surgeries

The Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) project employs a comprehensive approach to address the needs of premature infants in NICUs across Coochbihar, Darjeeling, and Jalpaiguri districts. Key components of the project include:

• Utilization of ROP fundus cameras and telemedicine services in level 3 and level 2 NICUs. 

• Deployment of a trained technical team. Assessment of ROP severity and determination of necessary treatments.

• Provision of laser therapy, injections, and vitrectomy treatments to infants diagnosed with severe ROP. Referral of identified cases to base hospitals for medical, surgical, and rehabilitative services.

• Training of 350 nurses and pediatricians in local NICUs on ROP identification and management protocols.Organization of quarterly Continuing Medical Education (CME) sessions for local pediatricians, neonatal care specialists, and gynecologists to enhance awareness and expertise in early ROP detection and preventive care.

Estimated Outputs

• Screen 5,800 babies for ROP

• Provide laser, injection, and vitrectomy treatment to 327 babies

• Train 350 nurses and pediatricians for ROP awareness
  

Accruals and Fiscal Year End 

We processed several agreements/payments throughout May and June and submitted our accrual sheet to the finance team. Programs worked hard to end the year strong and on budget. 

Conference Participation 

Chundak, Heidi, Heidy, Katie, Kieran, and Suzanne represented Seva at IAPB’s 2030 Insight Live event convened in Mexico City at the end of June.

Kuldeep, Arun, Saikat, and Shradha all represented Seva at the VISION202 India Conference in July. Kuldeep also represented in his capacity as treasurer for Vision 2020 India. Njoki attended the Africa Ophthalmic Congree in Kigali, Rwanda from July 26-28. 

Programs on the move 

Many team members traveled together in May. Katie, Claudia, Jennifer visited Sacred Circle in Utah. Njoki and Heidi visited KCCO in Tanzania. Heidi, Kuldeep and Ravindra traveled to Cambodia to assist with the Seva Cambodia office move in June. Parami, Rolando, and Giri also spent time in Cambodia at the end of July onboarding new staff and setting up the office. Heidi spent July with the Visualiza team in Guatemala. Njoki spent a week with current and potential partners in Malawi. Kuldeep and Shradha visited a number of partners across India.

Training

Arun launched the Eyexcel Advanced Workshop at SNC, Chitrakoot in June. The following month, he held the Management Development Program at HV Desai in Pune. He also represented Seva at the first Eyexcel Global Workshop under the Dr. Suzanne Gilbert Training Academy which was completed on July 25th. 

New Seva Cambodia office in Phnom Penh 

Seva Cambodia opened its new office in Capital City Phnom Penh. Previously, they were based in the Battambang Province. The Phnom Penh office will allow the team to better represent the work that is happening with our Ministry of Health partners. It is also more centrally located to our program work, which have expanded beyond the northwest part of the Cambodia. We are now positioned to do more networking and work closely with the government and other healthcare organizations, as well as organizations working in other sectors. This will further strengthen program capacities.   

Budget Budget Budget

From January – April, the program team spent time reviewing their work and preparing the budget for fiscal year 24-25. This year, the team incorporated budget descriptions to bring greater context as to why we are proposing these activities/projects. 

Updates from Cambodia

Seva provided replacement of cataract instruments to Battambang, Banteay Meanchey, Pursat, Kampot eye units, Siem Reap Regional Eye Hospital and Takeo Eye Hospital.

Supported to have Reverse Osmosis (RO) Water System in Banteay Meanchey and Pursat eye units, Angkor Hospital for Children, and Caritas-Takeo Eye Hospital for quality improvement in eye care.

Printed and provided medical emergency posters with frames to partner eye units/hospitals (Battambang, Banteay Meanchey, Pursat and Kampot eye units, Siem Reap Regional Eye Hospital and Takeo Eye Hospital). These posters will be helpful for staff to follow the procedures in case of emergency.

Programs Operations Team met at the Seva office in June + more updates

 Seva brought the Program Ops team to Berkeley in June to meet for the first time since 2019. They focused on program planning for the coming fiscal year

Lavelle Fund for the Blind awarded Seva $1M to establish a Regional Training Center in support of Guatemala Brillando

Katie McMillan began working with Seva as the Technical Product Manager. She will take a lead role propelling our technology driver forward

IAPB organized its annual meeting in Singapore. Arun, Brad, Chundak, Jerry, and Suzanne presented Seva's work at various sessions

Seva co-sponsors International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness 2030

InSight Live Singapore

Seva had a strong presence at this in-person and virtual meeting convened during June 25 and 26 at the Singapore Eye Research Institute. In person talks were given by Seva consultant Dr. Jerry Vincent on fragile communities “From Crisis to Action” (with focus on Rohingya community) with commentary by Chundak Tenzing and Suzanne Gilbert on Technology for Access to Services (presented on the Vistaro IR retinal camera). Virtual presentations were given by Seva’s Arun Acharya and Dhivya Ramasamy to the IAPB Human Resources group and by Radhika Krishnan to the Diabetes Retinopathy working group, and by Consultant Brad Wong during a session on eye care financing. The newly formed Indigenous Peoples Special Interest Group met in Singapore with Seva’s Jennifer Leo joining virtually. The meeting was attending by 350 participants from over 40 countries.

Suzanne and Chundak note the value of getting to connect with representatives from more than a dozen Seva partner institutions while catching up in general on what is happening with WHO, Ministries of Health, and other eye care NGOs.

Updates from Nepal

This year’s target was to reach 3250 volunteers. Our partners have been successful in reaching 3605 Femal Community Health Volunteers, teachers and mothers’ groups.  This last quarter alone, partners reached 2622 volunteers. 4 Vision Centers became operational this quarter.

Updates from India on training

April: 37 Dr and AOPs (9 Women) from 10 Hospitals (India and Nepal) completed 5-day Eyexcel to help trainers train young trainees who deliver quality eye care services in underserved communities

May: 68 Dr, Admin and AOPs (25 Women) from 14 Hospitals in Nepal completed Eyexcel, Quality and Management Development workshop to deliver high-quality eye care in Seva partner hospitals

June: 35 Dr, Admin, AOPs (13 Women) from 12 Hospitals across India, Nepal and Cambodia completed the Observe-Understand-Change Workshop to improve Quality and Safety systems

Observe, Understand, and Change

Observe, Understand, and Change is a training program conducted twice a year, sponsored by Seva Foundation in partnership with Zamindar Microsurgical Eye Center, Bangalore, India. In June 2023, the third batch of participants (about 40) from three countries (India, Nepal and Cambodia) observed the standard operating procedures implemented at the center, followed by a group discussion. Participants then shared the current practices at their respective centers and presented the desired changes for improvement to maintain minimum standards for patient safety. The following video clip shows the program.

Financing 2 Eye Care Articles

Given there is limited high-quality data for global economic estimates in eye health, particularly for low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), two years ago Seva started an initiative to bring the spotlight on the ‘cost of community and primary care in the eye health’ and ‘The economic and social costs of visual impairment and blindness’ with the aim to generate the firsthand evidence. As an outcome of these efforts led by Seva, two separate studies have been published by leading peer-reviewed journals.

- ‘The economic and social costs of visual impairment and blindness in India’ published by the Indian Journal of Ophthalmology

- ‘Strategies for cataract and uncorrected refractive error case finding in India: Costs and cost- effectiveness at scale’ published by The Lancet Regional Health - Southeast Asia – This is one of its kind study (in terms of scale and geography) to highlight the evidence on major eye health interventions championed by leading Seva partners (including Vision centers, School eye screening, eye camps, and door-to-door screening.)

Quality Workshop News

A workshop titled “Quality- Journey towards Patient Centric Care” was organized by Seva Quality Team. 34 participants representing all parts of Nepal received refresher training. These participants included Quality Champions from Seva and non-Seva partners. The workshop reviewed the existing quality initiatives, discussed the good practices, and drew a roadmap and action plans to ensure quality emphasizing on people-centered eye care in Nepal. We’re excited to have additional workshops lined up for December and January in India for hospitals across the Asia region.

Seva Foundation received 4 National Awards

Seva Foundation received 4 national awards from the Government of Cambodia, signed by the King and the Prime Minister. These Awards were conferred in recognition to Seva’s contributions in Eye-Care Services since 1999. It also recognized Seva’s special contributions in recently promulgated National Strategic Plan for Blindness Prevention and Control (NSP-BPC 2021-2030) and the Provincial Roadmap on Blindness Prevention and Control 2021-2030.

Vistaro Camera: The Camera that Saves Lives

Vistaro image quality compared favorably vs more expensive high end cameras.

Seva-Remidio team visit to Mozambique reinforced training on use of Vistaro and update on HIV and eye conditions.

Staff of YRG Care Center in Chennai were training in vision testing to enable adding visual acuity to patient monitoring.

Using evidence for program improvement

Seva published a Case Study on the Operations Research program and an article on small scale research in the Community Eye Health Journal. Three of the four Seva research teams published their project results or had their paper accepted. Conducted a survey of GSI mentors and selected other mature institutions to determine priority issues on use of routine administrative data. Seva's Introduction to Evidence Informed Practice course design & materials were completed. Strong interest by WHO and International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness in promoting the Seva course

Eyeglasses for Everyone

Seva joins Aurolab for strategic planning on affordable, quality eyeglass lenses

Aurolab inaugurated its Optical division, thus underscoring the commitment to quality, affordable eyeglasses. David Green and Suzanne Gilbert conducted a learning saloon on Opticals with the Board. Seva consultant reports are contributing to business planning and selection of manufacturing technologies. With Seva involvement, Aurolab has hired additional staff to head up Opticals sales & marketing. WHO and major global eyeglass providers are following this Opticals project with interest. 

Data, anyone? 

After two years of virtual research skill learning, Seva partners finally got to have an in-person data analysis workshop at Seva partner India Institute of Public Health - Hyderabad. The two week training built upon multiple online workshops and preparatory use of the Stata software so teams arrived ready to work. Research teams from Nepal and India are using the newfound skills to analyze results of their randomized control studies to improve service delivery. Services for kids, Vision Center patients, and people with Diabetes will be improved as a result.

Quick update on operations over the last quarter

More than 60 participants from 7 hospitals across Latin America gathered for EYExcel LA, a workshop designed for trainers to improve their training methods and results.

Through collaboration with Standard Chartered Bank, Seva and partners are establishing 65 new vision centers with partners in India. So far, 8 VCs started operating through this initiative.

As a result of our Call for Ideas, Seva began working with two new partners to bring eye care to Native Communities. The Minnesota Vision Health Task Force, created to build a comprehensive system of eye care in Minnesota, and to support and sustain capacity building for eye health within Native communities. This is a partnership of local health, education, and non-profit organizations aiming to prevent vision loss and blindness by aligning strategies that create equitable access to vision health care across Minnesota. Through a partnership with Seva, this program is focused on providing eye screenings care to Native school children within the state of Minnesota.  The Tundra Health Initiative provides access to eyecare in rural villages in western Alaska. This involves making trips, by air, to communities scattered throughout the region. During trips, vision screenings and services are provided. With support from Seva Foundation, Tundra is working in increase access to eyecare for remote communities Native communities in the areas around Nome, Alaska.

Domestic travel started up again this quarter with international travel starting up in July. We're excited to combine virtual meetings and discussions with some in-person consultations and exposure visits for staff and partners.

Vistaro Camera

Seva's Vistaro retinal camera went into high gear testing this past quarter with devices in use in Thailand, India, Ukraine (yes, Ukraine!!) and most recently, Mozambique. This second version of the camera already offers ease of focus and other functionality that improves over the original model. Remember, this device is designed for use frontline HIV workers who have never done an eye exam. Inputs from HIV clinics and eye departments inform Remidio Technology's design of version 3, to come out early 2023 for wider testing and examination data collection. Pleased to note that the large HIV center Seva is partnering with in Chennai requested eye exams for its very special patients: children who as babies contracted HIV from their mothers. Our friends at Aravind Eye Hospital, Chennai sent a team to examine 80 people including kids and their caregivers, with arrangements for follow up care at the eye hospital. For many of the children, this was their first eye exam. 

Organizational Development Training

An organizational development training program for SCEH (Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital, New Delhi, India) was developed by Arun Acharya (Global Training Specialist, Seva Foundation) after consulting with their top management, HODs and Administrators.  

This program was needed to fill the gap in the number of skilled management personnel who could lead quality and process improvement projects. The purpose was to train their high potential employees such that SCEH becomes a Centre of Learning and Excellence in terms of high-quality patient-centered eye care. 

This initiative is part of the GSI as a global platform initiative and fuels one of Seva’s core drivers I.e., “Training and Job creation” 

“What is the Quality of the Surgery Being Performed?”

Seva’s Response to COVID-19, SOP Starter Kit

The COVID-19 SOP Starter Kit was developed by dedicated Nepali medical and paramedical personnel under the leadership of Dr. Samina Zamindar. This Starter Kit focused on outpatient care at the beginning of COVID-19, providing the eye hospitals with the groundwork in COVID preparedness, so our partner hospitals could easily adapt these SOPs into their own hospital operations. As the authors’ hospitals test and further refine these SOPs based on real-life applications, Seva will update and republish them accordingly.

Safety and Quality

The agreement with Medical Council members have been signed and finalized. Some of the members have started the mini grant project activities. Interested team members from N. India have been registered to participate at Dr. Zamindar eye center, Bangalore, in two days of Quality related workshop followed by three days of observation as per the requirement of the attending trainee.

Three Bucket System — Community Eye Health Journal

The article from The Community Eye Health Journal is supported by the Conrad Hilton Foundation, Sightsavers, CBM, Orbis, The Fred Hollows Foundation, Tijssen Foundation, Seva Foundation, BHVI and the International Trachoma Initiative.

The Community Eye Health Journal (international edition) is a quarterly publication sent free to over 22,000 health care providers worldwide, mainly in low and middle-income countries. The aim of the journal is to ensure that up‐to‐date and relevant information reaches eye care workers of all levels in the countries where the burden of eye disease and blindness is greatest. Journal readers often have little access to other sources of information. Our peer-reviewed articles are written by experts in the field and combine clinical issues with public health approaches, such as research, planning, management, training, technology, sustainability and advocacy.

All Call Thursday’s But Monday Workflows

Each week I sponsor what is called the ALL CALL. Recently, the Program team shared their new information management platform with the rest of the Seva team. If you want a 'peek' behind our management cupboard enjoy this insight into a portion of our weekly ALL CALL session!

Africa Landscape Analysis

Seva has been working in Africa since 2001. We started first in Tanzania through our partnership with KCCO in 2001. As we consider the vast eye care needs in the region, we recognized that there was more work than one partner alone could achieve. When we began working in India, we worked with Aravind. But in order to have the intended impact we needed to have to achieve our mission, we built our network of committed partners. Now we are fortunate to work with a diverse network of more than 50 partner clinics in India. That approach has happened in all of the regions we work in.

Given the vast needs across the continent and to achieve our mission, we want to build upon the work that is already happening. We are starting with people and partners we know as we look to diversify. At this time, we are not looking to expand into new countries but rather leverage and deepen our commitment in countries where we are already working, specifically those in eastern Africa. Allowing us to strengthen our overall investment. We are focusing on locally-led, clinical health providers.

Specifically we:

• Added a new partner hospital in Tanzania last year supported by Kilimanjaro Centre for Community Ophthalmology (KCCO) and in coordination with the Ministry of Health

• Decided to sunset our work in Benin by end of 2023

• Are finalizing a new two-year agreement with KCCO

• Began working with Centre Tertiaire de Sante Oculaire De L'enfantin Burundi, the local organization that Dr. Levy established

Beyond these initial steps, our work has been in stasis as we prioritized staffing for the Implementation team (successfully recruited three positions, including one new position to manage our work in Latin America) and are focused on realizing our bold solution for the Latin American region. We also decided not to make new major investments in the African region while travel and in-person consultations have been stopped or limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

During the coming fiscal year, Seva is positioned to refocus on this region. The Africa Landscape analysis Seva commissioned last year, will be used as a reference for undertaking this work.

IAPB’s Eye Health Hero and Future Leader, Kuldeep Singh!

Introduced at the 9th General Assembly in 2012, the Eye Health Hero program is a recognition of front-line staff whose work in the field and engagement in the community makes a real difference in aiding vision and restoring sight all around the globe.

Each hero is named by an IAPB member organization or their partners to recognize those exemplary workers whose efforts are seldom in the limelight. They are the change-makers, innovators, and emerging leaders from all areas and backgrounds in eye health. Eye Health Heroes are managers, community workers, health professionals, or government officials, those working in clinical, hospital, research, INGO/NGO, business, and public policy settings their efforts and stories deserve to be shared.

Spotlight on Training!

Seva staff celebrated the final ceremony for an Organization Development Program for Dr. Shroff's Charity Eye Hospital, Delhi in January 2022. Purpose: To build in house workforce capabilities in Eye Care Management focussing on 5 key themes that are aligned to SCEH Values:

1. Effective Interpersonal Communication Skills

2. Quality Consciousness (Customer-Focus)

3. Planning and Prioritizing, Organizing Skills

4. Implementation, Initiatives, and Challenges

5. Analytical Skills

The end outcome was to upskill participants as future master practitioners and trainers and thus build the SCEH workforce in delivering High-Quality Eye Care.

Participants: 18 senior eye care workers (2 Females, 16 Males); (Optoms, Nurse, Administrators, Eye Bank Manager, Quality Lead, Stores in charge, Finance Managers, HR, Outreach program manager, etc.). Also, indirectly their department heads (Clinicians, GMs, Assoc. Director, Optometry, and Exec Director) were involved in SMART goal settings, Feedback, and project planning and delivery.

Duration: ~18 months (Planned for 12 months - delays due to covid). 2-4 hours per week, ~150 professional development hours per participant.

Methodology: A blended online workshop that included

1. Social learning - Peer to peer in small groups

2. Didactic learning - Instructor-led training by Arun Acharya

3. Project-based learning - by solving real-world problems using SMART goals.

Outcome: An Executive Summary Report will follow in Feb 2022 (watch this space!) In the interim, I am elated to inform you that this program has led to the creation of a series of training assets (Slides, Videos, Action Learning Projects, and Mind Maps) that will form the foundation of a competency framework for future eye care workforce development across Seva GSI Partner Network

Arun Kumar Acharya

Global Training Specialist | Seva Foundation

April 2022

Seva Wins Kristof’s Holiday Impact Grand Prize!

“It feels miraculous to watch people regain their sight, but it's a miracle that we can all make happen. Seva Foundation, the Grand Prize Winner of this year’s Holiday Impact Prize, is transforming people’s lives for as little as $50 per cataract surgery. Seva works in more than 20 countries abroad and in Native American communities in the United States, and nothing is more joyous than seeing the impact of its work on people who had thought they would never see again.”

— Nicholas Kristof

The Life You Can Save - The Votes are In!

Renowned philanthropist Peter Singer gave away $100,000 to three of The Life You Can Save's recommended charities based on a public vote and after thousands of votes were cast, we are pleased to announce Seva was one of the three charities that received the most votes: Here are all the recipients.

1. Fistula Foundation, a global leader in treating obstetric fistula — a devastating childbirth injury that leaves women incontinent, humiliated and often shunned by their communities — received the most votes and will receive US$50,000.

2. The Seva Foundation, a global nonprofit eye care organization that transforms lives and strengthens communities by restoring sight and preventing blindness, came second and will receive US$30,000.

3. GiveDirectly — a nonprofit that provides unconditional cash transfers using cell phone technology to some of the world’s poorest people, as well as refugees, urban youth and disaster victims — was third and will receive US$20,000.

April 2022

Seva Foundation Vision Report - Part I of a four-part report

Seva is committed to ending avoidable blindness in our lifetime. This is the first of several reports that take a deep dive into the economic burden of blindness and its negative impact on one of the world’s largest economies. By the end of 2021, we will release the solutions - what will it cost to provide the bold solutions required to secure sight for all.