Project Orbis International, Inc. (Orbis) is an international nonprofit delivering sight-saving programs in over 200 countries and regions worldwide so that individuals, families, and communities can thrive. For over four decades, Orbis has been tackling the challenge of avoidable blindness and vision loss by building strong and sustainable eye care systems that leave a lasting legacy of vision. Orbis runs dedicated in-country programs in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin America; develops and implements innovative training and technology, including an award-winning telemedicine and e-learning platform, Cybersight; and operates the worlds first and only Flying Eye Hospital, a fully accredited ophthalmic teaching hospital onboard an MD-10 aircraft.
Ruling yearinfo
1973
President and CEO
Mr. Derek Hodkey
Main address
52 Vanderbilt Avenue 8th Floor
New York, NY 10017 USA
EIN
23-7297651
NTEE codeinfo
Eye Diseases, Blindness and Vision Impairments (G41)
Public Health Program (E70)
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Communication
At Orbis, we believe that no one should live a life of blindness simply because of where they were born. - 1.1 billion people are currently living with vision loss. - 338 million of them are blind or have moderate to severe visual impairment. The vast majority of these cases are preventable or treatable. 9 out of 10 people with vision loss live in low- and middle-income countries, where eye care is often unavailable or difficult to access. Ongoing challenges in eye care provision include: - Inequity in access to and quality of prevention and treatment services - Shortages of trained eye care professionals - Lack of integration with other health servicesNew research shows great progress toward offsetting global blindness projections, but needs are still rapidly growing. Without faster improvement, blindness will affect 60 million people by 2050.
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
The world’s only ophthalmic teaching hospital on board an MD-10 aircraft, bringing world-class training and much needed attention to eye health in communities around the globe.
Our award-winning telemedicine platform which enables our expert volunteers to teach and support eye care teams around the world using the latest advancements in internet and mobile technologies.
The bedrock of the fight against avoidable blindness, we strengthen and improve eye health systems through partnerships, to create strong eye health systems so that in time they can prevent avoidable blindness on their own or with little intervention.
We are proud to facilitate a community of over 400 world leading medical volunteers across 30 countries who lead our training endeavours around the world. Our volunteers herald from top universities and hospitals around the world and are expert trainers, providing both hands-on skills exchange and ongoing mentorship online.
Africa
Asia
Oceania
South America
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Adults, People of African descent, People of Asian descent, People of Latin American descent, People of Middle Eastern descent
Output - describing our activities and reach
Increasing
Trainings carried out by: Ophthalmologists, Anesthesiologists, 0ther medical doctors, nurses, Optometrists, Biomedical Engineers, Community health workers and others.
Adults, Children and youth, People of Asian descent, People of Latin American descent, People of African descent
In-Country Programs
Output - describing our activities and reach
Increasing
Adults, Children and youth, People of African descent, People of Asian descent, People of Latin American descent
In-Country Programs
Output - describing our activities and reach
Increasing
The number eye surgeries performed in hospital operating theatres
Adults, Children and youth, People of African descent, People of Asian descent, People of Latin American descent
In-Country Programs
Output - describing our activities and reach
Increasing
Learn more aboutSustainable Development Goals.
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
Goal 1 - Program Delivery: Orbis is a leader in ophthalmic training and services delivery with sustainable programmatic impact that achieves quality-of-life improvements and value for money (and with evidence to prove it).
Goal 2 - People: Orbis is an inclusive organization that embraces diversity and equity across all aspects of our work and prioritizes partnership with other diverse and equity-focused entities.
Goal 3 - Revenue: Orbis is an organization with diverse and multi-year institutional funding.
Goal 4 - Thought Leadership: Orbis is recognized as a trusted thought leader and innovator.
Goal 5 - Systems Efficiencies: Orbis is an organization with efficient systems supported by a culture of learning
The desired impact of our 2022-2026 strategy is to increase equitable access to eye health services and improve the quality of life of the communities we work with. We are determined not only to give people their sight back today, but also to help build a legacy of quality eye care—ensuring no one goes blind tomorrow from avoidable causes.
Our strategy is informed by four cross-cutting themes, which are interconnected and embedded within our core focus areas and goals.
1: Partnerships are, and will continue to be, central to the Orbis mission.
2. Learning: It is important that our work is evidence-based and that we are building upon and adapting from lessons learned from our past work and that of our partners.
3. Technology: We will continue to pioneer the use of new technologies within our programming to improve eye health.
4. Equity: We will continue to promote access to eye health services for all people and strive towards an inclusive work environment, where diversity is cherished and promoted.
Our programs will focus on priority areas with high impact for the communities we work with:
1. Pediatric Eye Care - so we can give children the best start in life
2. Trachoma Elimination - so that a treatable infection stops robbing people of their sight
3. Strengthening Human Resources for Eye Health - because building local capacity and skills leads to sustainable change
Given our aim of increasing access to equitable eye health services, our program priorities also include the following intersecting areas.
1. Women and girls, people with disabilities, and internally displaced populations are at greater risk for eye disease and have some of the poorest access to quality and equitable eye care.
2. Bringing care directly to communities allows us to reach those who are most marginalized and underserved faster.
We integrate our tools into our work around the world to develop country-specific programs to fight blindness locally:
--Flying Eye Hospital: the world’s only ophthalmic teaching hospital on board an MD-10 aircraft, bringing world-class training and much needed attention to eye health in communities around the globe.
--Cybersight: our award-winning telemedicine platform which enables our expert volunteers to teach and support eye care teams around the world using the latest advancements in internet and mobile technologies.
--Volunteer Faculty: we are proud to facilitate a community of over 400 world leading medical volunteers across 30 countries who lead our training endeavors around the world. Our volunteers herald from top universities and hospitals around the world and are expert trainers, providing both hands-on skills exchange and ongoing mentorship online.
--In-Country Programs: the bedrock of the fight against avoidable blindness, we strengthen and improve eye health systems through partnerships, to create strong eye health systems so that in time they can prevent avoidable blindness on their own or with little intervention.
In 2020 alone, the following was achieved at our partner institutions and through Cybersight:
29,111 trainings were completed by doctors, nurses and other eye care workers.
26,041 eye health professionals trained through Cybersights
Over 3.4 million eye screenings and examinations were conducted
Over 36,000 eye surgeries/laser treatments were performed and over 101,000 eye glasses prescribed.
Over 7.5 million doses of Zithromax/tetracycline were distributed to treat blinding trachoma
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