International Health Opportunities

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

I'm writing to inform you about Spring 2005 international internship

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.

Contact JStaple@... for an application and details.

All persons over the age of 18 are welcome to apply, including premedical

students, medical students, public health professionals, 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 Application 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 receive

training and will then screen patients for operable cataracts, 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 comprehensive 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

prescribe eyeglasses.

At present, there is only one health clinic with a single qualified

physician for the 82,000 residents at the Buduburum Refugee Camp.

Because the population does not have an eye doctor available, Unite For

Sight volunteers will screen the children for treatable eye conditions,

including refractive error, congenital cataracts, xerophthalmia,

trachoma, river blindness, and conjunctivitis, 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 recognize 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 Sight’s educational curriculum about eye health in their

classroom.

Previous Unite For Sight Volunteers Share Their Experiences

“Unite For Sight’s 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 patients 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-, 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 doing 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 afford 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

Contact JStaple@... and

www.uniteforsight.org

for an application and details.

Sincerely,

Staple

Founder, President & CEO

Unite For Sight

www.uniteforsight.org

..