Motto Compassion in Action Type INGO | Formation 1978 (1978) Headquarters 1786 Fifth Street | |
Purpose Prevention of blindness. Location Berkeley, California, United States | ||
Seva Foundation is an American non-profit international health organization based in Berkeley, California known for treating blindness. It was co-founded in 1978 by Dr. Larry Brilliant, Ram Dass, Wavy Gravy, Nicole Grasset and Govindappa Venkataswamy. Steve Jobs served as an early adviser and major contributor.
Contents
- History
- Vision and mission
- Sight program
- Center for Innovation in Eye Care
- American Indian Sight Initiative
- References
Seva is best known for its work restoring eyesight to over 3 million blind people suffering from cataract blindness in places like Tibet, Nepal, Cambodia, Bangladesh, and throughout sub-Saharan Africa. The foundation also works on health projects in Native American communities throughout the United States. In 2013, Peter Singer wrote in an op-ed for The Washington Post that, with $7,500, the Seva Foundation could protect one hundred children from losing vision by treating trachoma and other common causes of blindness.
History
Seva Foundation, based in Berkeley, California, was founded in 1978 by public health expert Larry Brilliant, spiritual leader Ram Dass and humanitarian activist Wavy Gravy. Other notable co-founders include Dr. Govindappa Venkataswamy, founder of the Aravind Eye Foundation, and Nicole Grasset, the senior adviser for the World Health Organization smallpox eradication campaign. Steve Jobs also participated as an adviser at early Seva meetings and provided the first significant cash donation along with an Apple II to enter and analyze eye care survey results in the original Nepal program.
Vision and mission
Seva is a Sanskrit word meaning service to others. The Seva Foundation defines its vision as "a world of healthy and self-reliant communities". Its mission is "to prevent blindness and restore sight worldwide", with programs that "build the capacity of underserved communities to provide comprehensive and high-quality eye care that is accessible by all".
Sight program
According to the World Health Organization, as of October 2013, there are 39 million people around the world who are blind and 246 million more with low vision. 80% could see again if they only had access to an eye doctor. Most preventable blindness is caused by cataracts, which can be removed via cataract surgery. The surgical procedure takes around 15 minutes to perform, and the Seva foundation Seva has reduced the cost of cataract surgery to just $50 with the use of high quality low-cost intraocular lenses produced in conjunction with Aurolab, the manufacturing division of the Aravind Eye Hospital
Over the past 35 years, Seva has helped more than 3.5 million people to regain their eyesight. They are active in over 20 countries providing direct services in Tibet, Nepal and Cambodia, and through affiliates such as Vizualiza in Guatemala and the Kilimanjaro Centre for Community Ophthalmology (KCCO) in Tanzania.
Center for Innovation in Eye Care
The Center for Innovation in Eye Care led by Dr. Suzanne Gilbert is a global action network of eye health organizations and affiliated professionals who seek to reduce needless blindness. The goal of the center is to accelerate development of durable eye care programs that optimize use of human and financial resources in underserved communities. The center works towards accomplishing the goals of the VISION 2020: The Right to Sight initiative laid out in 1999 by the World Health Organization and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness.
Some notable projects include the "So One Million Eyes Can See" Clinton Global Initiative and the AIDS Eye Initiative in partnership with Doctors Without Borders.
American Indian Sight Initiative
For over thirty years, the Seva Foundation has been partnering with Native American communities on grassroots health projects. Seva's American Indian Sight Initiative builds on this legacy by training the next generation of American Indian eye care professionals.