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Organization: Unite For Sight

Based in: United States,   US EIN #: 32-0081616 add to cart Request Info

Quick Facts

Unite For SightŪ is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that empowers communities worldwide to improve eye health and eliminate preventable blindness. Volunteer Teams work with partner eye clinics in developing countries to provide eye care and eye health education programs. Additionally, vision screening and education programs are implemented worldwide by volunteers working in ninety chapters established at universities in North America, Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Focus Areas: Education, Health
Countries Served:
All 20 countries:
  Summary by region:

Background

Date Founded: 2000
Number of Staff: 0

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.

Quality Check

Financial Information   Verified
Year 2005 2004
Total Revenue: $271,344 $5,597
Expenses:    
        Program Services Expenses: $125,942
(91% of total)
$1,319
(41% of total)
        Management & General Expenses: $2,618
(2% of total)
$1,915
(59% of total)
        Fundraising Expenses: $9,541
(7% of total)
$0
(0% of total)
        Total Expenses: $138,101 $3,234

Additional Information

Additional Background Information:

At Buduburam Refugee Camp in Ghana, a dedicated group of refugee volunteers work daily to screen their local community members. Each of the volunteers participated in Unite For Sight eye education programs and received training from Dr. James Clarke, an ophthalmologist located 1 hour from the refugee camp. Every day, the refugee volunteers identify patients with potential eye disease, and the patients subsequently are examined by Dr. Clarke?s eye nurse Margaret Duah-Mensah, who visits several times per month. Those requiring treatment and surgery are brought to Dr. Clarke, and all of their eye care expenses are funded by UFS. The program at Buduburam Refugee Camp in Ghana is so successful that patients from the neighboring country of Liberia ? a country with only 1 ophthalmologist for the entire population of 3.5 million ? have been reported to travel to the refugee camp just to have their sight restored through UFS?s programs.

Officers & Board

President:
Jennifer Staple
Founder, President and CEO Email: JStaple@uniteforsight.org
Phone: (203) 404-4900
Development Director:
Jennifer Staple
Founder, President & CEO
Email: JStaple@uniteforsight.org
Phone: (203) 404-4900
Volunteer Coordinator:
Jennifer Staple
Founder, President & CEO
Email: JStaple@uniteforsight.org
Phone: (203) 404-4900
Board of Directors and Board of Advisors:
Board of Directors
Jennifer Staple
Samuel Baharestani
Eric Bertrand, MBA
Sachin Jain, MPH
Sally Ong
Yasha Modi

Medical Advisory Board
Dimitri Azar, MD
James Clarke, MD
Peter Egbert, MD
Leon Herndon, MD
Robert Ritch, MD
Muhsin Sheriff, MD
Geoffrey Tabin, MD
Shachar Tauber, MD
Seth Wanye, MD


Contact Information

Address:
31 Brookwood Dr.
Newtown , CT 06470
United States
Phone: (203) 404-4900
Fax:
Email: jstaple@uniteforsight.org
Web: http://www.uniteforsight.org

International Philanthropy, Donating, Volunteering, Fundraising, Tax-deductible Donations
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