Rotarians have a world-wide eye protection project that transcends borders. A cadre of Optometrists and Opticians sponsored Rotarians all over the world is restoring sight to those, especially in third-world nations.
Dr. Anshu Chandra will be visiting with the Rotary Club of Magnolia to receive information on her Rotary Global Eye Project in Haiti where she runs that program. Frank Parker with the Rotary Club of Magnolia told me, “In addition to the clinic, Anshu collaborates with institutions across Haiti through mobile eye clinics to address urgent needs while also supporting long-term solutions. This includes helping to strengthen the Haitian ophthalmology residency program in Port-au-Prince by expanding access to advanced training, equipment, and supplies so that all Haitians can receive high-quality eye care. Anshu holds a Doctor of Optometry degree and completed her residency at SUNY College of Optometry in New York. Raised in India and the United States, she was strongly influenced by her mother’s work as a social worker serving underserved communities.
These experiences shaped her understanding of both the challenges faced by disadvantaged populations and the practical solutions needed to address them. Anshu has provided eye care in Nepal, Haiti, Peru, Lebanon, Tanzania, Honduras, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Indonesia, and India.”
Rotary works with the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPD) which is a group of 140 entities working together to address the challenges that people throughout the world encounter with vision. Being the oldest and largest service organization in the world consisting of volunteers and donors, this Project to address vision problems on a worldwide basis is one well suited to the service hearts of Rotarians. APB members offer expertise in preventive care and treatment related to eye health.
Rotary Clubs that seek to improve a community’s access to eye care should consider partnerships with IAPB members. IAPB members may serve as cooperating partners on Rotarian-led projects by:
• Training and retaining ophthalmic, optometric, and management staff
• Improving or expanding infrastructure and facilities
• Acquiring ophthalmic and optometric instruments, equipment, and supplies
• Providing patients with access to screening and outreach programs
• Developing subspecialty eye care services
• Improving clinical and surgical processes
• Strengthening leadership, governance, teamwork, and administrative and management systems
Rotarians work together with others to achieve even more to have a positive impact throughout the world of humanity. Rotarians imagine the world as a better place and do something about it. Rotary saw an opportunity to rid the Philippines of Polio in the 1980’s. The success of that program led to a program to eradicate Polio worldwide. Starting in the last quarter of 2025, the world has not seen a new case of wild Polio. Polio will be considered to be fully eradicated when three years of no new wild Polio are found in the world. Rotarians are counting down the time of two years and eight months until we can say with confidence that Polio is gone from the world.