Orbis International | November 20, 2017

On #GivingTuesday Give the Gift of Sight

This #GivingTuesday Orbis encourages supporters to give the gift of sight by participating in our matching challenge. One of our generous donors has agreed to match all #GivingTuesday donations up to $25,000. Funds will support our vision restoring work in places like Bangladesh, where four-year-old Halima had two cataracts removed by an Orbis-trained surgeon.

Read more about Halima’s story on our website here.

Orbis will also be participating in Blackbaud’s partnership with NASDAQ on #GivingTuesday. Orbis will assist in ringing the NASDAQ bell next Tuesday morning, an image of Halima will appear on the NASDAQ tower, and Orbis will participate in a Facebook Live panel at noon.

Join us this #GivingTuesday and give the gift of sight to children like Halima. Visit orbis.org to learn more.

Tags:
Salima (11) has traveled six hours by bus with her little sister, Halima (4), who suffers from bilateral congenital cataracts. Though only a child herself, the elder sister explains that it is her job to care for her younger siblings as their mother is too pregnant with her tenth child to make the long journey from Cox's Bazaar to Chittagong, the nearest city that has a pediatric eye care facility. Halima is at CEITC for her second operation. The cataract blocking vision in her left eye was removed two months ago. Before the procedure, the elder sister explained how Halima would get stuck in corners whenever she tried to walk around unaided. But child wouldn't cry out for help. She just sat there quietly until someone came along and pointed righted her direction. Even with vision restored in one eye, Halima remains withdrawn and rarely plays with other children. Hopefully the second operation will empower the sad little girl to open up. Dr Abdul Mannan Siker, head of CEITC's pediatric department, believes the family condition is very poor. He removed Halima's cataracts free of charge and in such a way that no additional surgery and minimal follow-up will be required. As part of an ongoing ORBIS project to help CEITC build capacity in pediatric ophthalmology, Dr Mannan received an ORBIS-sponsored fellowship at Aravind Eye Hospital, India. TO REQUEST A DETAILED CASE STUDY, EMAIL PHOTO@ORBIS.ORG

Get Resources and Insights Straight To Your Inbox

Explore More Articles

View All

Celebrating Juneteenth and Continuing to Work in Solidarity for Racial Justice, Equality, and Equity

June 9, 2026

June 19 — also known as Juneteenth, or the nation’s second Independence Day — commemorates the end of slavery in Texas, and therefore the nation,…

Is Your Company Ready to Launch a Scholarship Program This Fall?

June 9, 2026

Here’s What You Need to Know Now is the ideal time for companies to partner with a scholarship administrator – here’s why and how to…

How Much Money Does Your Company’s Emergency Assistance Fund Actually Need?

May 20, 2026

Setting up an Employee Assistance Fund (EAF) is one of the most practical ways to support employees during times of crisis. One of the first…

Get Resources and Insights Straight To Your Inbox

Receive our monthly/bi-monthly newsletter filled with information about causes, nonprofit impact, and topics important for corporate social responsibility and employee engagement professionals, including disaster response, workplace giving, matching gifts, employee assistance funds, volunteering, scholarship award program management, grantmaking, and other philanthropic initiatives.

newsletter-mock