News RSS - Helen Keller Internationl

Eyeglass Distribution Changing Lives in Vietnam

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Kon Tum, Vietnam – Learning got a whole lot easier for 94 students in Dak To District when they received new eyeglasses from ChildSight®, a program that improves the vision of children in Kon Tum Province, Vietnam and strengthens the ability of health personnel to provide pediatric eye care services.

Uncorrected refractive errors (myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism) can lead to visual impairment, blindness and disability, especially in developing countries. It is estimated that one in five Vietnamese children suffers from refractive error, yet the vast majority remain undiagnosed and untreated. Left untreated, refractive error can worsen and may lead to blindness and irreversible vision loss, particularly in young children.

To remedy this, school children in primary and secondary schools are screened by trained teachers. Those who do not pass the visual acuity examination are tested by specialists from the Community Eye Unit at the Kon Tum Center for Social Diseases Prevention and Control. Students determined to have refractive errors receive free eyeglasses.

“My eyesight was blurry and I could hardly see anything when I looked at the blackboard,” said Tran Van Sang, a ninth grader at Nguyen Cong Tru Secondary School in Kon Tum Province. “Thanks to the program, doctors came to my school and checked my eyes. I received eyeglasses for free and now I can see everything clearly!”

Taiwan donates to help Burkina Faso school children

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 04:00:00 +0000

A press conference in New York City highlighted The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office's recent $230,000 donation to Helen Keller International to help school children in Burkina Faso.

"Including the recent donation, Taiwan has given a total of $1.8 million to the organization's school program in Burkina Faso since 2004, said Kathy Spahn, president of Helen Keller International (HKI)."

Local man envisions eliminating vitamin A deficiency

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000

A profile on Wes Stoody, founder of Aframes Eyewear. The company has partnered with Helen Keller International and will donate 5 percent of all revenue to help HKI distribute vitamin A supplements.

Stoody first learned about the dire consequences of vitamin A deficiency (VAD) as a student at Eastern Michigan University, and decided he wanted to start a cause-driven eyewear company to raise money to help with VAD.

Cameroon: Balanced diet training ends in Douala

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000

To prevent micronutrient deficiencies, Helen Keller International is working to make food fortification commonplace in West Africa. We collaborate on large-scale efforts in partnership with the private sector to fortify essential cooking ingredients such as cooking oil and wheat flour with essential vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, iron and folic acid.

The government of Cameroon has recently mandated that wheat flour be fortified with iron, zinc, vitamin B12 and folic acid, and that cooking oil be fortified with vitamin A.

HKI held a training to help state agents who will monitor these products better enusre complaince. Participants visited markets, shops, and supermarkets to verify if refined cooking oils and wheat flour are fortified.

Grant Supports Better Sight for City's Students

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Helen Keller International received a $10,000 competitive grant from the Fairfield County Community Foundation for its ChildSight® program in Connecticut. The money will support the vision screenings and eyeglass distribution in Bridgeport Public Schools in 2012.

"Most of the children served by ChildSight® struggle with economic, transportation and/or social barriers that prevent them from getting needed vision care and these challenges have become more acute in the past few years due to the economic downturn,” said Karen Brown, vice president of programs at the Fairfield County Community Foundation. "Without eyeglasses, children with poor vision are at a major disadvantage in school."

97% of School Age Children Received Deworming Treatment in 2011

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000

This article highlights a meeting Helen Keller International (HKI) had with The Ministry of Education Science and Technology (MEST) in Sierra Leone to review a plan for the school age deworming program.

The Ministry does not want to see children dropping out of school as a result of being infected with worms, and is working with HKI to meet this goal.

"If you measure the height and weight of children who have received the deworming treatment, with those that have not received the treatment after six months, you will realise that the children who received the treatment will be heavier and taller than the ones that do not get the treatment." HKI Country Director Mary Hodges added.

Food Fortification in Cameroon: Strengthening the Public's Health

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Yaoundé, Cameroon – In a major step forward for the health of Cameroonians, the government of Cameroon has mandated that wheat flour be fortified with iron, zinc, vitamin B12 and folic acid, and that cooking oil be fortified with vitamin A. Food fortification is an effective strategy because consumers receive essential nutrients in their staple foods and don't have to change their habits or purchase additional items. A critical step to ensure sustainability is the government’s commitment to the fortification projects.

Fortification Alimentaire au Cameroun: Renforcement De La Sante Publique

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Yaoundé, Cameroon – Une étape majeure vient d’être franchie en faveur de la santé des Camerounais. En effet, le gouvernement du Cameroun a rendu obligatoire l’enrichissement en fer, zinc, vitamine B12 et acide folique de la farine de blé, ainsi que l’enrichissement en vitamine A des huiles de cuisine. L’enrichissement est une stratégie efficace pour lutter contre les carences en vitamines et minéraux car les consommateurs reçoivent des nutriments essentiels à travers les aliments enrichis sans changer leurs habitudes ou avoir à acheter de suppléments. Une étape cruciale pour assurer la durabilité est l'engagement du gouvernement à l'égard des projets de fortification.

Better Sight for Bridgeport Students

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Bridgeport, Connecticut - Helen Keller International (HKI) received a $10,000 competitive grant from the Fairfield County Community Foundation for its ChildSight® program in Connecticut. These funds will support the vision screenings and eyeglass distribution in Bridgeport public schools in 2012.

ChildSight®, which has been active in Connecticut for 12 years, “brings education into focus”™ for underserved students. Its mission coincides with the Foundation’s goal of improving the health and education of underprivileged youth in this community. ChildSight® goes directly into targeted schools to provide vision screenings, prescription eyeglasses, and ophthalmologic referrals (as needed) for middle-school students – free of charge. ChildSight® serves children between the ages of 10-15, when refractive error (more commonly known as near-sightedness, far-sightedness and astigmatism) typically manifests.

A Fortified Future For Mali

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Bamako, Mali – The West African country of Mali has taken a major step forward in providing essential micronutrients to its citizens by passing legislation that requires fortification of wheat flour with iron, zinc, and several B vitamins including folic acid. An estimated 4.7 million people are likely to receive enhanced nutrition from their staple foods because of this action. Mali is the 64th country to require adding at least iron or folic acid to flour, and is considering adding vitamin A to edible oils to prevent vitamin A deficiency, the leading cause of childhood blindness

Helen Keller International (HKI) has been a staunch advocate for food fortification in Mali, and West Africa as a whole, since fortifying staple foods provides nutritional benefits without requiring consumers to change their habits or purchase additional items. In West Africa, HKI collaborates on large-scale efforts in partnership with the private sector to fortify essential cooking ingredients with essential vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, iron and folic acid.