Back in 2013, Dan Pallotta’s TED Talk, The Way We Think About Charities is Dead Wrong, created a ripple effect in the non-profit sector, advocating for the investment in non-profits and a change in the way the sector and the public at large think about overhead. I first had the chance to hear Pallotta speak live in 2019, when Operation Eyesight and other partners brought him to Calgary as part of an educational series focused on maximizing philanthropic impact. I was in awe of Pallotta’s clear passion and his knack for delivering the key messages in such a simple yet inspiring way.
Of course, I jumped at the opportunity to catch his new film, “UnCharitable,” thanks to a screening organized by the Canadian Partnership for Women and Children’s Health. While the documentary, which is based on Pallotta’s book of the same name, had several powerful moments, there was one idea presented in particular that I’ve been reflecting on: Ask organizations about the size of their dreams, not the size of their overhead.
The size of our dreams?
At Operation Eyesight, our vision is the elimination of avoidable vision loss. Our dreams span the globe. Our dreams transcend borders.
Our biggest dream is a world where universal health care, including eye care, is the reality.
Today, 1.1 billion people live with vision loss. Although 90 per cent of vision loss is treatable or preventable, many people worldwide still don’t have access to eye health care.
Eye health care is a critical part of good health and well-being. For a child, good eyesight means the ability to go to school, learn and build friendships. For a parent, healthy vision means being able to care for their children or work to provide for their family. For a senior, access to eye care services means the ability to live with dignity and watch their grandchildren grow up. For adults and children alike, healthy vision means a chance to pursue their dreams.
We believe everyone has the right to healthy eyes; however, many countries globally do not have national eye health policies and strategies that meet the needs of patients and families. This leaves quality, affordable eye health care out of reach for many people. As a result, millions are living with vision loss and blindness that is completely curable, or that could have been prevented from happening in the first place.
It’s time to create a world where avoidable vision loss is a thing of the past, not the thing holding people back from the futures they’ve dreamed about.
At Operation Eyesight, we are currently working with local partners across 10 countries to prevent blindness and restore sight, and we have plans to expand to five more countries over the next five years. As part of our 2024-2028 Global Strategy, we will:
- Expand our service reach to include more communities and more determinants of health related to eye health, so that we can improve quality of life for more individuals;
- Strengthen the capacity of our partners and staff to ensure organizational excellence, efficiency and accountability;
- Increase awareness of Operation Eyesight, our programs and our impact;
- Disseminate eye health knowledge;
- Influence key state and non-state actors; and
- Ultimately, increase the size of our global community.
To achieve this, we will generate more awareness of, and support for, our mission, making strategic investments in all aspects of our organization along the way, just as Pallotta encourages. We have already started laying the foundation, investing in areas such as infrastructure and technology, recruitment and team capacity-building, and digital marketing.
We will also create new partnerships – with international NGOs, grant funders, corporations, institutions and other supporters – while strengthening our existing partnerships.
We will continue to join hands with the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness and our eye health peers around the world to advocate for the integration of eye health care into primary health care systems, with the goal that someday, everyone, everywhere will have access to affordable eye health care.
Through our collective action and the support of our global community, we hope to transform national eye health policies and realize our shared vision of the elimination of avoidable blindness – For All The World To See.
So, ask us about the size of our dreams. And ask us how you can help make these dreams a reality.
