Executive Summary
Currently, 2.5 billion people worldwide cannot reach their full potential because they need eyeglasses and do not have them. Let There Be Sight, an NGO in partnership with Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, combats preventable blindness. Starting in four countries—Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar, and Ghana—Let There Be Sight will ensure that everyone has access to high-quality, affordable vision care.
Our solution is transformative and has three parts: infrastructure—a vast network of vision centers and community health workers; innovation—our USee™ rapid eyeglass delivery; and social change—sparking local investment in, and demand for, eyecare. We will establish self-sufficient vision centers in district hospitals and extend their reach and impact by empowering community health workers to become “Visionpreneurs.” Visionpreneurs will use USee™ to deliver prescription eyeglasses to the most vulnerable people on-the-spot anywhere after just one day of training. A robust public health campaign will expand knowledge of vision care, build demand for services, and foster public and private investment in the eyecare system. The result: a fully sustainable, locally owned system for protecting sight.
Lead Organization
Johns Hopkins University
Charity, fund, non-governmental organization, religious institution, school, or other entity
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Accomplishments
Due to the commitment to universal eye health and belief in the Let There Be Sight concept, Johns Hopkins’ Center for Communication Programs in 2020 self-financed a pilot on sustainable vision access through Kenya’s pharmaceutical network.
We have learned that investing in pilots, which provide proof of concept and demonstrate our commitment to developing effective and sustainable solutions, may constitute our strongest pitch to potential donors.
Also, working with local and global partners on COVID-19 risk communication and community engagement, the Center for Communication Programs reached one billion people in more than 25 countries in 2020. That capacity and agility provide Let There Be Sight with the capability to deploy our vision care at a global scale.
