Welcome:
Hi! Thanks for visiting my fundraising page. I'm going to be travelling to Ghana to work in an eye clinic for a month. While I'm there, I'm going to be screening people for cataracts, and referring them to a local hospital for surgery. The organization that I'm going with, which is called Unite for Sight and is a registered charity in the United States, pays for all of the costs associated with the surgeries. Each surgery costs $65, and I'm trying to raise enough money to pay for 50 surgeries. This is a really important cause for me, because the money I raise will be used to restore the sight to people that I will be treating. The more money that I can raise, the more people who will be able to see. Any donation you would be able to make would be very much appreciated. Thanks again!
Update: Thanks so much to everyone for coming and visiting my site. It's so encouraging to see the response, and it's such a great thing to be a part of. I'm now in Ghana, training with a local ophthamologist for a few days before I go to the village, and I'll be posting blogs hopefully once I get set up there. Also, I've heard that some people have questions about the organization I'm working with. The website for Unite for Sight is uniteforsight.org, and if you would prefer to mail cheques instead of donating online, or have any other questions, just email me at jubilee@gmail.com and I will do what I can to help. Thanks again! |
Why I'm Involved:
While travelling in Africa for two months last summer, I was saddened by how hard life was compared to what we enjoy here. Even for healthy, strong, young people it's a constant struggle to make ends meet. With no disability insurance, public health plans, or savings, people who are disabled or sick have no safety net and often live with a terrible quality of life.
Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness in the world. Because they are age-related, every person of every race will eventually develop cataracts. In North America, cataracts are removed before people become blind. In much of the world cataracts are not treated, and gradually progess until the afflicted people can see absolutely nothing. The surgery to remove cataracts is very fast, taking as little as half an hour, and very inexpensive. For $65, we can restore sight to a blind person, which to me is an indescribable result for such a small sum of money. |
About Me:
My name is Julia Pottinger, I'm 22 years old and I live in Vancouver, Canada. I have an undergraduate degree from McGill University in Physiology, and I'm hoping to be starting medical school in September.
I'm very passionate about improving the lives of people living in third world countries, and while in medical school I plan on going on exchange, and after I'm finished I want to work with Doctors Without Borders. I believe that we are all part of a global community, by helping those living in unfortunate circumstances around the world we are helping friends, neighbours, and family. |
What I'm Doing:
On April 30, 2006 I am travelling to Patriensa, a small village in central Ghana in West Africa. There, I will be screening local people for operable cataracts and other treatable eye diseases with an organization called Unite for Sight. People who are blind from cataracts will be referred to the Agogo Hospital, 20 minutes from Patriensa, to receive sight-restoring surgery. Unite for Sight pays for the surgery, which costs $65 per person. I will be coming back to Vancouver on June 2. |