International Health Opportunities - Ghana, Tanzania, Benin
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Hi everyone,
I'm writing to inform you about Spring 2005 international in-
ternship opportunities to help restore eyesight and prevent
blindness in a refugee camp in Ghana and in rural villages in
Ghana, Tanzania, and Benin. Additional Summer 2005 Internship
Opportunities are available in Ghana, Tanzania, Benin, Uganda,
Nigeria, Cameroon, India, and Thailand.
Mailto:JStaple@uniteforsight.org for an application and details.
All persons over the age of 18 are welcome to apply, including
premedical students, medical students, public health profession-
als, nurses, graduate students, doctors, and others.
Dates:
Buduburum Refugee Camp in Ghana December 28 - February 28, 2005
- Rolling Application Deadline
Humjibre, Ghana February 1 - March 30, 2005 - Rolling Applica-
tion Deadline
Nyamuswa, Tanzania 2005 January 15 - March 15, 2005 - Rolling
Application Deadline
Pobe, Benin 2005 January 15 - May 15, 2005 - Rolling Application
Deadline
Ghana, Tanzania, Benin, Uganda, Nigeria, Cameroon, India, and
Thailand Summer 2005 - Rolling Application Deadline
Spring 2005 Internship Descriptions
Humjibre, Nyamuswa, and Pobe
In Humjibre, Ghana and Nyamuswa, Tanzania, volunteers will re-
ceive training and will then screen patients for operable cata-
racts, arrange for cataract surgeries, distribute eyeglasses and
conduct eye health education in local schools. These programs
are a continuation of very successful Unite For Sight cataract
surgery program in Humjibre and Nyamuswa during Summer 2004.
In Pobe, Benin, volunteers will distribute eyeglasses, conduct
eye health education in local schools, and coordinate a new
cataract surgery program. This program is also a continuation of
a successful Summer 2004 Unite For Sight program
Buduburum Refugee Camp in Ghana In coordination with the local
Liberian Refugee-run NGO Self-Help Initiatives For Sustainable
Development (SHIFSD), Unite For Sight is designing a comprehen-
sive eye health program for children and teachers in the forty-
three schools at the Buduburum Refugee Camp near Accra. The
first Unite For Sight volunteers will arrive at the refugee camp
on December 28, 2004 to distribute eyeglasses, screen for eye
disease and coordinate treatment at an eye clinic, implement eye
health education programs for children, and implement a Train-
the-Trainer program for teachers in the schools. The Unite For
Sight volunteers will be trained by ophthalmologists at the
Christian Eye Clinic in Tema to screen for eye disease and pre-
scribe eyeglasses.
At present, there is only one health clinic with a single quali-
fied physician for the 82,000 residents at the Buduburum Refugee
Camp. Because the population does not have an eye doctor avail-
able, Unite For Sight volunteers will screen the children for
treatable eye conditions, including refractive error, congenital
cataracts, xerophthalmia, trachoma, river blindness, and con-
junctivitis, and coordinate their care by ophthalmologists at
the newly established Christian Eye Clinic in Tema, Ghana.
While the children at the Buduburum Refugee Camp will be taught
by Unite For Sight volunteers about eye anatomy and eye health,
the teachers will be trained in basic visual acuity testing and
participate in seminars about eye health so that they can recog-
nize potential eye disease or visual acuity problems among their
students and refer them to a doctor for treatment. The trained
teachers will develop an ongoing, sustainable relationship with
the ophthalmologists at the Christian Eye Clinic in Tema. The
teachers will also be encouraged to include Unite For Sights
educational curriculum about eye health in their classroom.
Previous Unite For Sight Volunteers Share Their Experiences
"Unite For Sights volunteers announced the eye clinic at church
and beat the gong gong to spread the word. As the clinic went on
for the second week, word spread to other communities, and pa-
tients came to the clinic from as far away as two hours. Even
after the clinic ended, people brought blind relatives from long
distances." Alison Polk-Williams, Summer 2004, Humjibre, Ghana
"My experience in Tanzania this summer was life-changing. It has
solidified my commitment to pursue international public health
and to reach out to underserved communities who cannot get care
on their own. By screening people for cataracts, distributing
eyeglasses, providing medications, and teaching eye health in
schools, I gave hope to the village of Nyamuswa. Where advanced,
high-tech care was but a dream, I showed that ophthalmic care,
and health care in general, can be a reality for them, despite
the poverty and lack of access to services. I can't imagine do-
ing anything more worthwhile with my summer." -- Sachin Jain,
Unite For Sight Volunteer, Summer 2004, Nyamuswa, Tanzania
"It was a wonderful experience working in Tanzania. The need for
eyeglasses and other eye services is real and urgent. You sense
it from the questions people ask, the requests they make and the
stories they tell. Average wage is Tsh 48,000 (USD 43) while a
pair of eyeglasses costs Tsh 30,000 (USD 27). People cannot af-
ford eyeglasses. Misconceptions about eye surgeries remain. Yet,
every Tanzanian I met has been very receptive to our programs.
From the policy makers to the villagers, everyone supports our
work, appreciates our efforts and invites us back to Tanzania.
Sensing a need in the community is one thing, being supported
and respected by the people made the internship very much more
fulfilling." Sally Ong, Summer 2004, Tanzania
Mailto:JStaple@uniteforsight.org and www.uniteforsight.org for
an application and details.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Staple
Founder, President & CEO
Unite For Sight
mailto:Jennifer.Staple@aya.yale.edu
http://www.uniteforsight.org