Oct. 10, 2024 — In honor of World Sight Day on Thursday, Oct. 10, Cure Blindness Project announced plans to expand its services to six new countries: Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Pakistan, Paraguay, and Zambia. This move marks the nonprofit’s first entry into South America and broadens its existing operations in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Since its founding in 1995, Cure Blindness Project has provided sight-restoring care in 25 countries.

“The time has come to amplify our impact,” says CEO of Cure Blindness Project K-T Overbey. “From tackling cataract blindness in the Himalayas to now tackling all forms of treatable blindness across 30 countries, our commitment to eradicating this issue is unwavering. We are relentless in our pursuit of a brighter ‘seeable’ future for all, but we cannot do it alone.”

Cure Blindness Project’s strategy includes high-volume cataract surgeries and training local health care providers to ensure sustainable care. The organization shares it has performed over 1.6 million sight-restoring surgeries and trained more than 20,100 eyecare professionals across 43 countries.

“Underserved communities bear the brunt of the global eyecare crisis,” says Cure Blindness Project’s chief program officer Josie Noah. “Our expansion partners have a proven track record of excellence, allowing us to reach these vulnerable populations and finally offer them the life-changing gift of sight.”

The organization, which recently acquired SightLife International to expand its expertise in corneal blindness treatment, will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2025.