Banteay Meanchey Province, Cambodia, is home to an estimated 678,033 people; 51% of whom are women and girls. Small scale farming and fishing are the main activities of this rural province, and 43% of the population live below the poverty line. There are almost 12,000 people in Banteay Meanchey with treatable blindness who could see tomorrow if they had access to care. Thousands more simply need a pair of glasses to see the world clearly.
A Cambodian grandmother and granddaughter at an eye screening camp in Banteay Meanchey Province.
In 2021, Seva Canada received a generous grant from the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI) to provide eye care services to poor and marginalized people, particularly women and girls, in Banteay Meanchey Province.
In late fall of 2021, field workers travelled to remote and isolated areas of Banteay Meanchey to screen people for eye disease and arrange transportation to the Mongkol Borei Provincial Hospital Eye Unit for patients in need of surgery.
Thanks to CFLI, 2,100 Cambodians were screened, 330 life-changing cataract surgeries were performed, and 600 prescription glasses were distributed free of charge.
A patient being examined by Dr. Sorina at the Eye Unit at the Mongkol Borei Provincial Hospital, Banteay Meanchey.
According to the CFLI Team Bangkok/ Thailand, “the office of the Embassy of Canada to Cambodia through CFLI, works in partnership with Seva Canada to support and provide eye care services to marginalized communities, especially women and girls, to overcome obstacles in accessing resources in Banteay Meanchey Province.
When individuals are healthy and empowered to reach their full potential, they not only survive, but thrive, and can transform themselves and their communities. This has been a great opportunity for the CFLI to partner with Seva Canada and provide eye care support to people in Banteay Meanchey.”
We’d like to thank the CFLI Team Bangkok/Thailand for helping to provide essential eye care services to marginalized people in need in Banteay Meanchey!
