International Medical Opportunities
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Dear all,
I'm writing to inform you about our newly announced interna-
tional medical opportunities to help restore eyesight and pre-
vent blindness in African, Asian, and Latin American countries.
All persons over the age of 18 are welcome to apply, including
premedical students, medical students, public health profession-
als, doctors, corporate professionals, nurses, graduate stu-
dents, retired professionals, and others. Short and Long Term
volunteer opportunities for physicians are available as well.
mailto:JStaple@uniteforsight.org and www.uniteforsight.org for
an application and details.
Dates:
Sichuan, China
December 28 - January 10 - Rolling Application Deadline
Morogoro Region, Tanzania
December 28 - January 10 - Rolling Application Deadline
Xela, Guatemala
Short and Long Term Volunteer Opportunities Available January
through October 2005 (Flexible Dates)
Rolling Application Deadline
Buduburum Refugee Camp in Ghana (2 volunteer positions remain-
ing) December 28 - February 28, 2005 - Rolling Application Dead-
line
Humjibre, Ghana (4 volunteer positions remaining)
February 1 - March 30, 2005 - Rolling Application Deadline
Nyamuswa, Tanzania (1 volunteer position remaining)
January 15 - March 15, 2005 - Rolling Application Deadline
Pobe, Benin (2 volunteer positions remaining)
January 15 - May 15, 2005 - Rolling Application Deadline
Guatemala, Ghana, Tanzania, Benin, Uganda, Nigeria, Cameroon,
India, and Thailand
Summer 2005 - Rolling Application Deadline
Winter 2005 (December 28 - January 10) Internship Descriptions
Tanzania (4 volunteer positions remaining)
Four Unite For Sight volunteers will participate in a low cost
programme in the Morogoro Region of Tanzania to provide specta-
cles to the low income section of the community located in dis-
tricts or regional suburban areas. A team of 10-14 local and
non-local volunteers will provide eyeglasses to 1,000 patients.
This program is coordinated with the ONA Network, a not-for-
profit, non-government trust based in Australia that is dedi-
cated to improving visual and eye health in Tanzania
(http://www.ona.kabissa.org/).
On arrival in Tanzania, each volunteer will contribute Austra-
lian $500 (or equivalent in US dollars) to cover all expenses
while in Tanzania. The expenses include accommodation, meals,
transport within Tanzania, and leisure for the two weeks of stay
in Tanzania. These will be organized in a team setting. Unused
money will be refunded.
China (2 volunteer positions remaining)
Four Unite For Sight volunteers will distribute eyeglasses and
implement eye health education programs for school children in
Sichuan, China. Accommodation in China costs $5-$10 per day, and
daily meal expenses are less than $5. Domestic flights in China
will cost $125 one way to Sichuan, and the train will cost $40.
Spring 2005 Internship Descriptions
Buduburum Refugee Camp in Ghana (2 volunteer positions remain-
ing)
In coordination with the local Liberian Refugee-run NGO Self-
Help Initiatives For Sustainable Development (SHIFSD), Unite
For Sight is designing a comprehensive eye health program for
children and teachers in the forty-three schools at the Budubu-
rum Refugee Camp near Accra. The first Unite For Sight volun-
teers 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 pro-
grams 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 prescribe 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.
Humjibre (4 volunteer positions remaining), Nyamuswa (1 volun-
teer position remaining), and Pobe (2 volunteer positions re-
maining)
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
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, Unite For Sight Volunteer, Summer 2004,
Tanzania
Thailand was amazing. I always thought that I wanted to do in-
ternational health care work, and thanks to this trip, I know
that I want to be doing this kind of work for the rest of my
life. The people were very friendly and appreciative, and our
hosts were excellent. It was really neat to see that all my work
of collecting and measuring the prescriptions of eyeglasses paid
off. You should have seen the look on the faces of some of the
children when they got their glasses on for the first time!
Melissa Karakash, Unite For Sight Volunteer, Summer 2004,
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Mailto:JStaple@uniteforsight.org and www.uniteforsight.org for
an application and details.