Anshu Chandra: "From Volunteer to Visionary – Building Sustainable Eye Care for the Underserved in Haiti" 8/18
She leads a permanent clinic in Fond-des-Blancs, supports mobile clinics, and helps train local eye care professionals. Wharton Club members and guests are invited!
- Dr. Anshu Chandra, a graduate of SUNY College of Optometry, has dedicated her life to providing eye care to underserved populations.
- She has worked in 12 countries, delivering eye care to some of the world’s most vulnerable communities, all as a fully unpaid volunteer.
- In 2015, Dr. Chandra founded an eye clinic with the Bay Eye Charitable Foundation (BECF) in Fond-des-Blancs, Haiti, a rural area with no access to eye care.
- A unique aspect of her work is her commitment to training local staff, empowering the community, and creating sustainable, long-term systems for care.
- To date, the clinic has provided over 120,000 free eye exams, restored sight, and prevented blindness for thousands of underserved Haitians, many of whom travel for days to receive care.
- Remarkably, all of this has been achieved with minimal funding, serving 13,000 – 15,000 people annually on a budget of less than $50,000.
- However, the building housing the clinic is no longer available, putting it at risk of closure.
- Dr. Chandra will discuss her journey, the clinic’s profound impact, the ongoing crisis, and the urgent need for funds to build a permanent facility to secure the program’s future.
Wharton Club of DC Members - you can attend in-person with a free lunch or by Zoom
- President's Club/Lifetime: You and 2 guests may attend
- Other Members: Yourself only