Hi everyone,

I'm writing to inform you about international internship opportunities to 
help restore eyesight and prevent blindness in rural villages in Ghana, 
Tanzania, and Benin.

Apply for a Unite for Sight Volunteer Program in Ghana, Benin, or 
Tanzania!  Contact [log in to unmask] for an application and 
details.  All persons over the age of 18 are welcome to apply, including 
premedical students, medical students, public health professionals, nurses, 
graduate students, doctors, and others.

Dates:
Ghana Fall 2004 - November 1, 2004 - December 20, 2004 with optional 
extension until January 15, 2005. - Rolling Application Deadline
Ghana Spring 2005 - February 1 - March 30, 2005 - Application Deadline is 
December 1
Tanzania 2005 - January 15 - March 15, 2005 - Rolling Application Deadline
Benin 2005 - January 15 - May 15, 2005 - Rolling Application Deadline

In Ghana and Tanzania, volunteers will receive training and will then 
screen patients for operable cataracts, arrange for cataract surgeries, 
distribute eyeglasses and conduct eye health education in local 
schools.  These programs are a continuation of very successful Unite For 
Sight cataract surgery program in Humjibre and Nyamuswa during Summer 
2004.  In Benin, volunteers will distribute eyeglasses, conduct eye health 
education in local schools, and coordinate a new cataract surgery 
program.  This program is also a continuation of a successful Summer 2004 
Unite For Sight program.

“Unite For Sight’s volunteers announced the eye clinic at church and beat 
the gong gong to spread the word.  As the clinic went on for the second 
week, word spread to other communities, and patients came to the clinic 
from as far away as two hours.  Even after the clinic ended, people brought 
blind relatives from long distances.” –Alison Polk-Williams, Summer 2004, 
Humjibre, Ghana

"My experience in Tanzania this summer was life-changing. It has solidified 
my commitment to pursue international public health and to reach out to 
underserved communities who cannot get care on their own. By screening 
people for cataracts, distributing eyeglasses, providing medications, and 
teaching eye health in schools, I gave hope to the village of Nyamuswa. 
Where advanced, high-tech care was but a dream, I showed that ophthalmic 
care, and health care in general, can be a reality for them, despite the 
poverty and lack of access to services. I can't imagine doing anything more 
worthwhile with my summer." -- Sachin Jain, Unite For Sight Volunteer, 
Summer 2004, Nyamuswa, Tanzania

“It was a wonderful experience working in Tanzania. The need for eyeglasses 
and other eye services is real and urgent. You sense it from the questions 
people ask, the requests they make and the stories they tell. Average wage 
is Tsh 48,000 (USD 43) while a pair of eyeglasses costs Tsh 30,000 (USD 
27). People cannot afford eyeglasses. Misconceptions about eye surgeries 
remain. Yet, every Tanzanian I met has been very receptive to our programs. 
 From the policy makers to the villagers, everyone supports our work, 
appreciates our efforts and invites us back to Tanzania. Sensing a need in 
the community is one thing, being supported and respected by the people 
made the internship very much more fulfilling.” –Sally Ong, Summer 2004, 
Tanzania

Contact [log in to unmask] and www.uniteforsight.org for an 
application and details.

Sincerely,
Jennifer Staple
Founder, President & CEO
Unite For Sight
www.uniteforsight.org

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