VOSH/International believes in the freedom to see. Providing the gift of vision and eye health to people worldwide. We facilitate the provision and the sustainability of vision care worldwide for people who can neither afford nor obtain such care. Our goal is to increase our global impact whenever possible by supporting sustainable eye clinics, optometry schools and optometric educators in areas lacking sufficient eye care. As of November 2023, there are 106 VOSH and SVOSH chapters in 28 countries across the world working to accomplish our goals.
Our Mission
Our Mission
Our Mission
VOSH believes in the freedom to see.
Our mission is to provide the gift of vision and quality eye health to people worldwide.
VOSH facilitates the provision and the sustainability of vision care worldwide for people who can neither afford nor obtain such care.
Our goal is to increase our global impact whenever possible by supporting sustainable eye clinics, optometry schools and optometric educators in areas lacking sufficient eye care.
VOSH Code of Conduct
VOSH/International® and its chapters are committed to:
- Respecting and acting responsibly toward the communities in which we work and for the benefit of the communities that we serve;
- Treating every individual with dignity and respect;
- Acting honestly, truthfully and with integrity in all our transactions and dealings;
- Being ethical, responsible, transparent and accountable for our actions;
- Avoiding conflicts of interest.
VOSH/International Statement on Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
For almost 50 years VOSH/International and its chapters have provided the gift of vision and eye health to thousands of people worldwide. We offer our services to anyone experiencing economic, geographical, educational barriers to access quality eye care because we believe quality eye health should not be a privilege. We do not believe people should be discriminated on the basis of their race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or the work they do. As the biggest global network of volunteer optometrists, we celebrate the abundance and diversity of expression the world has to offer.
It is undeniable that 2020 has brought unprecedented challenges and fundamental questions to our lives. Across the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the unequal impact on the public health systems and the vulnerable communities that depend on them. Everywhere, the tragic toll that COVID-19 has taken on ethnic minorities and disadvantaged groups is concerning.
This coronavirus does not discriminate, but health care challenges do not affect all communities in equal manner. Now more than ever, global collaboration is essential and we -as members of the global eye health sector- support and recognize the leadership of the World Health Organization (WHO) that has worked hard towards the elimination of trachoma and river blindness, and that continues to play an important role in the reduction of the prevalence of vision impairment and the inclusion of eye health within Universal Health Coverage (UHC); all of which affect the most vulnerable communities. For this reason, this support also extends to other global initiatives geared to contain the impacts of climate change on the environment and human health.
Sadly, in this already difficult context, racism has once again confronted us. The global reaction to racism and the inequalities it creates require a serious reflection on the changes that society needs and the role we can play in this change.
We need to be consistent with our values at home and abroad. We cannot feel unmoved and not hurt by what is happening in our society now. We do not discriminate against our patients or volunteers, but that is clearly not enough. We need to redouble our efforts to support access to optometry education to students from diverse backgrounds and be more proactive to ensure diverse representation in our leadership roles and structures. We need to be more proactive reaching fellow optometrists from black and minority backgrounds to collaborate helping communities through humanitarian eye clinics and public health education. But we also need to be humble and learn more about the challenges our black and minority colleagues face and be ready to support each other in times of need.
VOSH/International volunteers always feel that serving others in need brings the best of them. Let 2020 be the year where our vision strengthens, and we help others see that respect and kindness are the only way to a more just and equitable society for the benefit of all.
VOSH/International opposes racism and is committed to working for equality, diversity, and inclusion in the US and abroad.
Approved by the Board of Directors of VOSH/International on August 04, 2020
VOSH/International Statement for Humanitarian Values in a World of War
We work towards a vision of peace for all.
Every year, VOSH/International and its chapters provide the gift of vision and eye health to thousands of people worldwide, independent of their race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, political beliefs, or the work they do. Our mission is to improve everyone’s vision and eye health everywhere. We believe that quality eye health should not be a privilege but a right.
In 2020, when we developed our statement on Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion, we expressed deep concern about the challenges and impact that discrimination and racism have on people’s health. In that statement, we made a clear stand against racism everywhere. We committed ourselves to strengthening the implementation of our vision so that we could contribute to a more just and equitable society for the benefit of all. In our eyes, every life has equal value.
As a global organization, VOSH/International represents a diversity of views and experiences from a perspective of common humanity. This humanity that is easily practiced when we serve patients in our humanitarian vision clinics or support the education of future optometrists cannot shield us from recognizing the devastating impact of war and conflict on patients and health providers.
Conflict and war have devastating consequences on access to healthcare, health infrastructure, the sustainability of healthcare systems, and the availability of healthcare professionals. Decades of hard work and investment in building, equipping, training, and educating local health professionals to serve a population can easily be destroyed during war and conflict. Rebuilding it can be immensely difficult.
War not only causes death but also widespread trauma and suffering for the civilian population. VOSH/International is concerned with the extreme degree of violence and genocide in current wars, which has seen thousands of innocent civilians lose their lives, families, homes, and livelihoods and hundreds of health, education, and humanitarian workers displaced, killed, or injured.
VOSH/International stands in solidarity with all people, especially fellow optometrists and students of optometry, who have been severely affected by current wars and conflict and supports the calls for peace and respect for international humanitarian law made by other international aid organizations and humanitarian agencies.
Approved by the VOSH/International Board of Directors on July 2nd, 2024
VOSH/International believes in the freedom to see. Providing the gift of vision and eye health to people worldwide. We facilitate the provision and the sustainability of vision care worldwide for people who can neither afford nor obtain such care. Our goal is to increase our global impact whenever possible by supporting sustainable eye clinics, optometry schools and optometric educators in areas lacking sufficient eye care.