Our Mission
The Relief for Human Suffering Foundation is a non-profit organization with a mission to restore the gift of sight and reduce the suffering caused by easily treatable medical conditions in developing countries.
We are on a mission to restore the gift of sight & reduce the suffering from treatable medical conditions.
Here is how:
Annually, 100% of our board and members contribute financially to the cause.
90-100% of public donations go to the field. Members and private donors cover our operating costs.
We partner with local NGOs to provide relief and, where possible, a path to self reliance.
We deliver help, one person
at a time.
In a world full of advancements, an estimated 2.2 billion individuals in our global community are currently suffering from visual impairments, with half of the cases labeled as preventable, yet they remain untreated4. Having functional vision is frequently an under-appreciated gift. We only consciously recognize the priceless value of being able to see when we are prevented from fully enjoying its capabilities.
Although the freedoms that come with being able to see are luxuries enjoyed by a majority of our world’s population, regrettably, individuals from developing countries account for the majority of the 2.2 billion who suffer visual impairments because of inaccessibility to affordable care1,2,3,4. In fact, 90% or more of vision impairments are easily treated with glasses or cataract surgery1. Still, people in low to middle-income regions continue to suffer because of the financial burden of accessing eye care1,2,3,4.
The Lancet Global Health Commission on Global Eye Health: Vision beyond 2020 report estimated the global economic welfare loss of $411 billion caused by vision impairment, but the actual cost is likely much higher1,2.
Our organization is here to bridge the affordability gap to help as many people as we can. We proactively focus on creating a world where a person’s ability to restore the gift of sight is not dependent on the location of their birth. And subject to funding availability and on a case by case basis, we also reactively address the suffering caused by other easily treatable medical conditions in developing countries. Together, we can get involved and make a difference.
Join us to make an impact!
Let’s end the suffering caused by easily treatable visual impairments and medical conditions for people in developing countries, one person at a time!
References:
- Burton, M. J., Ramke, J., Marques, A. P., Bourne, R. R. A., Congdon, N., Jones, I., Ah Tong, B. A. M., Arunga, S., Bachani, D., Bascaran, C., Bastawrous, A., Blanchet, K., Braithwaite, T., Buchan, J. C., Cairns, J., Cama, A., Chagunda, M., Chuluunkhuu, C., Cooper, A., … Faal, H. B. (2021). The Lancet Global Health Commission on Global Eye Health: Vision beyond 2020. The Lancet Global Health Commission, 9(4), e489–e551. doi:10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30488-5
- Marques, A. P., Ramke, J., Cairns, J., Butt, T., Zhang, J. H., Muirhead, D., Jones, I., Tong, B. A. M. A., Swenor, B. K., Faal, H., Bourne, R. R. A., Frick, K. D., & Burton, M. J. (2021). Global economic productivity losses from vision impairment and blindness. EClinicalMedicine, 35, 100852. doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2021.100852
- World Health Assembly. (2020, August 3). Integrated people-centered eye care, including preventable vision impairment and blindness. Seventy-Third World Health Assembly, Agenda Item 11.7. Retrieved from https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA73/A73_R4-en.pdf
- World Health Organization. (2019). World report on vision. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/328717/9789240017184-ara.pdf