Peru

In Peru, Seva Canada works with partner hospital Clínica Oftalmológica Divino Niño Jesús (DNJ) to support comprehensive eye care services to people with low incomes and those living in remote areas. DNJ is a non-profit eye care hospital system with two hospitals: one in Lima, and the other in Iquitos. Their mission is to prevent blindness and restore sight in the most vulnerable and low-income populations by offering comprehensive eye care services with quality and professionalism. Sadly, DNJ’s services are needed now more than ever: the COVID-19 pandemic caused a severe recession in Peru, where nearly 30% of people now live in poverty.

Our partnership focuses on allowing DNJ to provide more services to patients who cannot afford to pay. In Lima and Iquitos, we support outreach activities, subsidize the cost of surgical services, and provided equipment as needed. In Lima, we subsidize cataract and subspecialty services to patients who are identified at outreach and cannot afford them. In Iquitos, we support outreach activities for patients living in extremely remote rural areas without regular access to eye care — some along the Amazon River, only accessible by boat.