Photo courtesy; The Seva Canada Community
Seva Canada has announced a $2 million gift from the Honey & Barry Sherman Legacy Foundation to address the urgent issue of global blindness and vision loss. Part of the money will trickle down to Sub Saharan Africa to enhance access to eye care services in underserved communities to transform the lives of millions of people in need.
“We are thrilled to support Seva Canada and its work to expand community-based eye care around the world,” said Alex Krawczyk, founder of the Honey & Barry Sherman Legacy Foundation. “This gift builds on the legacy of my parents, who were committed to advancing health equity for everyone.”
From a press release on March 19, 2025, the donation from the Honey & Barry Sherman Legacy Foundation will enhance its locally managed programs in Sub-Saharan Africa, expand eye care delivery to more people in South Asia and South America, and grow South-South eye care capacity-building projects led by Seva’s global partners.
“Eye care is one of the highest-impact public health investments that can be made in the global fight against poverty. Access to eye care services transforms lives by restoring sight and igniting opportunities for education, employment and overall well-being,” said Liz Brant, Executive Director of Seva Canada.
90% of vision loss is preventable or treatable if people have access to eye care. Yet, an estimated 1.1 billion people are living with vision loss, 43 million of whom are blind, and this number is growing. According to The Lancet, vision loss will increase by 55% by 2050, with most of those affected living in low- and middle-income countries.
“This transformational gift from the Honey & Barry Sherman Legacy Foundation will give the gift of sight to people in need today and enable Seva Canada to invest in meeting the growing demand for eye care globally,” added Brant.
The Honey & Barry Sherman Legacy Foundation’s donation will empower more communities to provide critical eye care to their people, including eye surgery, eyeglasses, and medicine. When more people have healthy vision and can live their lives fully, entire communities benefit, creating a ripple effect of positive change and enhanced quality of life for all.
About Seva Canada: (seva.ca)
Seva Canada is a Vancouver-based charitable organization whose mission is to restore sight and prevent blindness in low- and middle-income countries. Since 1982, Seva has given the power of sight to more than 5 million people through life-changing surgeries and has provided eye care services, including glasses and medicine, to millions more.
