Focus Areas:	Education, Health
Countries Served:	All 20 countries: Benin Canada Congo Cameroon Ethiopia United Kingdom Ghana Guinea Guyana India Kenya Malawi Nigeria Pakistan Somalia Thailand Tanzania, United Republic of Uganda United States Zimbabwe   Summary by region: Africa Northern America Europe Latin America & Caribbean Asia

Description of Services:
Unite For Sight works with eye clinics worldwide that previously attempted to provide free eye care services in their community, but were precluded by lack of staffing and funding. Unite For Sight?s model is unique in that it involves sending students, nurses, public health professionals, and doctors from North America and Europe to serve as support staff to eye doctors in the field, thus enabling community-based screening programs led by eye clinics without the need for paid staff. The screenings are held in rural villages, urban locations, as well as in refugee camps. The clinic?s eye doctors diagnose and treat eye disease in the field, and surgical patients are brought to the eye clinic for surgery.
History:
Jennifer Staple founded Unite For Sight in September 2000 when she was a sophomore at Yale University. For three years, Unite For Sight served the medically underserved population of New Haven, Connecticut. Unite For Sight experienced great success in New Haven and decided to bring its proven public health strategies to the international community. In June 2003, Jennifer began to expand the reach of Unite For Sight. Today, the organization includes more than 4,000 volunteers in 90 chapters throughout the world. The success of Unite For Sight's international programs propelled the organization into a global humanitarian organization. Unite For Sight has been recognized for outstanding service by numerous organizations and media outlets.
Accomplishments & Progress:
To date, Unite For Sight has provided services to more than 400,000 people worldwide as well as coordinated and sponsored 5,680 sight-restoring surgeries. Additionally, more than 200,000 eyeglasses have been collected and distributed by eye doctors. In addition to Unite For Sight?s measurable impact, there is an equally compelling achievement. Doctors, nurses, students, and others, especially younger people, are ?uniting for sight? across borders, economic status, and professional lines, allowing the organization to exceed its initial objectives.