(aka) SEVA Foundation
1786 Fifth Street
Berkeley,
CA 94710 Phone
800-223-7382
Restoring sight is one of the most cost effective interventions to reduce poverty. With clear vision, those you help can return to work and school and live more fulfilled lives.
Seva's vision is a world free of avoidable blindness. Help us reach this goal.
Restoring sight is one of the most effective ways to relieve suffering & reduce poverty. We deliver vital eye care to the world's most vulnerable including women, children and indigenous peoples. Transforming lives by Restoring sight!
WEB SITE: www.seva.org
EMAIL: give@seva.org
October 10th is "World Sight Day"
A day dedicated to learning and spreading awareness about vision care.
In honor of World Sight Day, we want to share a heart warming story of Eucebio who got his sight back. Who got his life back!
Meet Eusebio Caal Ichich, a man dedicated to serving his community and saving lives. At 56 years of age, this hard-working husband and father has worked as a firefighter in Guatemala for more than 16 years. A few years ago, he noticed his vision started to fade. Eusebio had cataracts in each eye - a devastating problem for a firefighter. As he did not have access to proper vision care, he could not find treatment. His supervisors demoted him to lower positions because, they said, he was no longer reliable. They first transferred him to a desk job. When his eyesight became too impaired for this, they made him a janitor. When his vision deteriorated further, they simply fired him.
His condition affected his life outside of work, too. He would accidentally burn his fingertips on the stove while trying to make food.
Fortunately, Eusebio heard of one of Seva's partner hospitals, the Vincent Pescatore Eye Clinic. There, thanks in part to the generosity of Seva's donors, he received surgeries on both eyes. After a quick, safe, and inexpensive procedure, he could see, in his words, “as good as new again.”
When Eusebio regained his sight, he also regained a sense of purpose. Once again, he is an active member of his community, contributing as a firefighter. He also serves as an ambassador for the Vincent Pescatore Eye Clinic, which he recommends to all he meets who have eye problems.
*Eusebio photo by Joe Raffanti
