Unite For Sight

Unite For Sight
Visual Health Volunteer

Duration: mid- May through mid-August
Location: Tamale, Ghana; Volunteers will be picked up at the airport in Accra and transported to Tamale, approximately 8 hours away.
Housing: Guest house.
Qualifications: The successful applicant will have health experience and preferably have previous international experience. We look for volunteers who will be passionate, motivated, and dedicated to the program.

Description:
The Unite For Sight Volunteer Team will work with Dr. Seth Wanye, MD, at the Eye Clinic of Tamale Teaching Hospital. The team will screen for eye disease and operable cataracts in Tamale. All patients will receive diagnosis, treatment, and surgery from Dr. Wanye, who is the regional ophthalmologist. The Tamale region is in very desperate need of screening outreach and eye health education services. Dr. Wanye is the program's host.

The volunteer's requirements include:

Pre-departure.
1. Collect at least 300-500 eyeglasses by implementing a Unite For Sight eyeglass drive at your university and in your community. Volunteers are also able to easily collect eyeglasses at eye doctor offices and from local Lion's Clubs. You will bring the eyeglasses with you to the destination country.
2. Volunteers raise at least $1,000 for Unite For Sight's eye care programs in the destination country. In the past, volunteers have been successful raising funds by asking family and friends, holding bakesales, running marathons, creating fundraising websites, and even bungee jumping!
3. Volunteers must be trained by an eye doctor in their local community to screen for cataracts, recognize various eye diseases, and learn about eye anatomy, eye health, and refractive error. The training session should include 2-3 days working with an optometrist or ophthalmologist.
4. Verify that you have travel insurance, health insurance, vaccinations, and a VISA.
5. Attend the Unite For Sight Conference at Yale University in April 2008.

In Country.
1. Keep accurate log of activities, financial records, and report to Unite For Sight by email every 3 weeks.
2. Submit a report halfway through internship describing what has been done and plans for next half of internship.

On return.
1. Submit written report detailing activities, successes, obstacles and (most importantly) proposal for future.
2. Speak to school children and the community about eye health in the country from which you returned.

To apply, submit the Universal Application Form. All applicants MUST meet with Jale Okay, Director of International Experiential Learning, by February 20, 2009 for a pre-application meeting. Please call the McCulloch Center at x2072 to schedule an appointment. For additional questions, contact Jale Okay.