WHAT WE DO - Seva in Tibet

	Read about the blind sisters
	Read Metok, Tashi and Norbu's story
	Read Dekyi's story
	Read more success stories from Tibet and learn how your gifts change lives!

SEE OUR TIBET APPEAL

Tibet has one of the highest rates of blindness in the world.

Seva has been working in Tibet since 1995. We are the leading eye care provider in Tibet and are responsible for two-thirds of the cataract surgeries in both the Tibetan Autonomous Region and in Tibetan areas outside the TAR.

Last year, Seva examined 47,926 patients, performed 5,009 sight-restoring eye surgeries and trained 18 eye-care professionals.

In December 2010, Seva inaugurated the Kham Eye Centre in Dartsedo, serving 3 million people.

Most of the blindness in Tibet is due to cataracts. Cataracts can be removed, and sight restored, with a relatively simple and highly cost-effective operation, yet most Tibetans blinded by cataracts never regain their sight because they cannot access the limited eye care services available.

Cataracts in Tibet are the leading cause of blindness among the working age group, those responsible for Tibet's economic growth.

The huge land area of Tibet, the dispersed nature of the population, the inaccessibility of much of the terrain, the lack of public transport, and the poverty of the majority of the population add to the challenge of delivering adequate eye care in the region.

In addition, Seva-sponsored programs are taking a leading role in developing a blindness reduction strategy for all Tibetan areas and is a model for eye care for the rest of China.

Since 1995, Seva has worked with local partners, starting with the Tibet Development Fund, and more recently with the Public Health Bureau to establish services at hospitals and to train doctors throughout the region. 

Seva's program addresses the needs for blindness prevention and sight restoration both in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and in surrounding Chinese provinces of Sichuan, Qinghai, Gansu and Yunnan. The TAR alone has over 30,000 people who are cataract blind with an annual incidence of over 2,000.

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

Major Projects Needing Support 2011/2012

Seva is currently seeking funding for the following major projects in Tibet:

• training of a Tibetan eye doctor in surgery and clinical eye care at our partner hospital in India. Amount needed for the training is $5,770
• conducting outreach screening camps so that Tibetans of all ages living in remote areas will receive eye care. Amount needed: $10,000 
• subsidies for poor patients who need eye treatment. Amount needed: $5,000
• Medical supplies including lens implants, antibiotic drops and other surgical materials. Amount needed: $14,500
• Operating cost for a vision centre. Amount needed: $6,070.

If you are interested in these opportunities to make a significant and long-term impact in the lives of thousands of Tibetans, please contact the Seva Canada office by calling 1-877-460-6622 toll-free or emailing Heather Wardle at fundraising@seva.ca