Seva in Egypt

Despite the technical capacity to restore vision to most of its approximately 800,000 blind people, rural populations and especially women in Egypt rarely use these urban and suburban services, even when free. This is because of inadequate awareness, access and acceptance.

Two-thirds of Egypt’s blind people are women or girls. Almost all of the nation’s blind live in poverty.

Egypt has no national eye care program and most eye care services are hospital-based with minimal outreach activities to communities. The majority of Egypt’s 3,400 ophthalmologists, 40% of whom are licensed to operate, live in Cairo and the other major cities.

Within this context, Seva’s partner, the Al Noor Magrabi Foundation, provides the only active intervention aimed at increasing the volume of cataract surgery through the outreach caravans, a charity hospital and special programs designed to address the problem of blindness among women, girls and the very poor.

To learn more about specific Gifts of Sight for Egypt, click here.