Back to School: Helping Students Thrive with Clear Vision [Photo Essay]
As a new school year starts, students across the US are returning to the classroom, but too many will struggle because they can’t see clearly. Helen Keller Intl works with schools and community organizations in California, Minnesota, New Jersey, and New York to provide vision screenings and prescription glasses to children and their families – […]
President and CEO Sarah Bouchie Speaks with Woman Around Town
Recently, Sarah Bouchie sat down with Charlene Giannetti, editor of Woman Around Town, to discuss how Sarah’s childhood, education, and work experiences prepared her for her role as Helen Keller Intl’s President and CEO. In her interview, Sarah speaks about what sparked her interest in international development and her career path and her long-time […]
3 Things I’m Optimistic About in 2024
Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence. Helen Keller On January 1st, I stepped into some very big shoes as Helen Keller Intl’s new President and Chief Executive Officer. Together, we are 20 countries strong, helping more than 70 million children and family members create lasting […]
Improving Vision Care in Cameroon
More than 26 million children and adults in Africa are living with some form of visual impairment. As many as 15 percent of these experience vision loss because of common refractive errors, such as near-sightedness or astigmatism, which can be corrected with a simple pair of eyeglasses. Although a majority of people with refractive error […]
Building Upon Our Legacy of Health, Nutrition, and Vision
Over the past several decades, Helen Keller Intl has continued to expand our ability to help people around the world create lasting change in their own lives. Today, we reach more than 70 million children and family members across 20 countries with the essential building blocks of sound health, good nutrition, and clear vision. We […]
2023 Year in Review: Forces for Good [Photo Essay]
Every day, members of the Helen Keller Intl community are choosing to be forces for good. Community health heroes, entrepreneurs, parents, youth, and Helen Keller staff work tirelessly to help improve health, nutrition, and vision for people in their communities, countries, and around the world. We’re highlighting some of the incredible contributions made by members […]
Preventing Vision Loss from Diabetic Retinopathy in Bangladesh
Nasima Khatun’s vision had been deteriorating for years. It had gotten so bad she was unable to recognize the faces of people she knew from a distance. Then one morning, the vision in her right eye suddenly became obscured by a what looked like a red cloud. The 41-year-old first went to a local doctor […]
Clear Vision Brings True Potential into Focus
Living with childhood cataracts meant that 10-year-old Ulrich Amassoga had never experienced clear vision before. He had difficulty in school and dealt with bullying from classmates because of his condition. Two years ago, Helen Keller began providing vision screenings in schools in Cameroon in partnership with USAID’s Child Blindness program, the Ministry of Public Health, […]
Building Brighter Futures by Saving Sight
By the time she was six years old, Treasure Winner Mafau Azemafack’s family had already fled violence three times. Originally from Fontem in Cameroon’s South West region, Treasure Winner, her parents, and three siblings eventually settled on Dschang, in the country’s West region. During this time, Treasure Winner began to experience headaches, but moving so […]
Helping People See True Potential
Impaired vision can cause long-lasting challenges for children and adults throughout their lives. In childhood, poor vision will make it more difficult for a student to fully engage in the classroom and with her peers, putting her education at risk. This can start a downward spiral, especially for a child already experiencing poverty. As she […]
