Training Volunteers To Provide Direct Eye Care Services

Since 2003, Unite For Sight has trained more than 4,500 volunteers to “Unite For Sight” and provide direct eye care services in their local community and abroad.  These volunteers annually contribute 80,000 volunteer hours of service to eliminating preventable blindness and restoring sight.  The work of volunteers is vitally important, and the result of their work is profound.

Our priority is to ensure that Unite For Sight volunteers make a high impact difference while participating abroad or in their local community. Our research, experience, and evaluation has enabled us to develop a highly successful pre-service training and orientation process that ensures that volunteers are fully prepared to contribute to the success of the Unite For Sight programs.

North America Chapter Volunteers

We train volunteers in North America to provide vision screenings in their local communities.  Patients screened are matched with free health coverage programs so that they can receive a complete eye exam by an eye doctor.

• Training involves completing Unite For Sight’s Online Eye Health Course, watching a training video, completing a volunteer quiz, reading the chapter manual, and signing a Code of Conduct.

International Visiting Volunteers

Volunteers from North America, Europe, and Australia are trained to serve as support staff at eye clinics in developing countries.

• Unite For Sight requires that all non-eye care professional volunteers complete a training process that prepares them to fully contribute to providing eye care immediately upon arrival at the partner eye clinic abroad. 
  • Training by an eye doctor in their local community according to a list of required skills and learning objectives
  • Succesful completion of Unite For Sight's Online Eye Health Course
  • Completion of Unite For Sight's Cultural Competency and Eye Training Videos
  • Read journal articles about international volunteerism, professionalism, ethics, culture shock, and community eye health
  • View online videos about volunteer's Unite For Sight program site
  • Upon arrival at the partner eye clinic abroad, volunteers receive additional orientation and training by the ophthalmic staff.

Community Volunteers

Community volunteers in Ghana and India are trained to assist Unite For Sight outreach teams with providing ongoing eye care in their local villages and refugee camps.

• The ophthalmic staff at Unite For Sight’s partner eye clinics train community volunteers in their villages.