We are raising funds to save the sight of more than 1000 of Sri Lanka’s poorest people and we would be very grateful for your support.

People who are destined to become irreversibly blind in one or both eyes without the cataract surgeries they themselves have no hope of affording or accessing.

Cataract surgeries for $80

With the support of our charity partnership, you can fund their sight saving operations for $80 – safeguarding the independence they need to continue doing the things that are most important in their lives; such as continuing to earn a living, caring for children or grandchildren, cooking for themselves, reading their holy book and moving freely without the aid of another person.

Through a network of medical professionals, district officials and charity volunteers we have been fortunate to work with over a number of years, we have in place the expertise to organize all aspects of multiple Cataract Surgery Camps, benefiting the poorest people across the North and East of Sri Lanka.

All we need now is your support to make it happen and we would be forever grateful to you if you would donate.

You can fund cataract surgeries by clicking on the Donate icon on this page.

* As IMHO USA is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (federal tax ID# 59-3779465), all donations are tax-deductible for US tax payers.

We would also be very grateful if you would forward this appeal to those you feel may want to help us to make a very big difference.

In late June 2021 Team Solihull undertook a grueling 53KM walk in one day to raise funds for this large-scale project. All 18 members of the team are current, or former, staff or pupils of Solihull School in the West Midlands, UK and we all crossed the finish line together over 15 hours after an early morning start. As a family and a school community we have had a long-term commitment to enhancing the lives of Sri Lanka’s poorest people and have previously raised funds to complete many education, health care and livelihood projects across the North and East.

Despite the challenges of the pandemic presenting many significant hurdles, we have already begun the roll out of the cataract camps. In July we ran a camp in Vavuniya and in December 2021, a further 67 patients had their sight restored over three days of surgery at Kilinochchi District General Hospital. We are hugely grateful to Dr Gnanaruban for his surgical expertise and goodwill.

Delays in cataract surgeries have become a global issue during the pandemic, so we are keen to run several further camps at the earliest opportunity, in the hope of preventing some patients from becoming irreversibly blind. Cataract Camps are now therefore planned for Kilinochchi, Vavuniya and the upcountry and we have also identified a further 450 patients for surgeries in Kalmunai. (Click here for footage of recent January ’22 camp: www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5rvgi94IYY)

All patients who benefit from donor funds, fulfil two prerequisites – a pressing need for surgery and having no means of paying for the surgeries themselves.

Running large scale camps during the pandemic presents considerable challenges due to transportation, pre surgical preparations and post-surgical care. This is turn impacts on cost efficiencies and is compounded by the large inflationary pressures experienced across the globe. Since embarking on this fundraiser, the cost of performing cataract surgeries has gone up and both IMHO and Assist RR UK continue to work very hard on keeping those costs down with the help of willing volunteers, and settings who offer their theatre facilities free of charge.

Our fundraising for this project has spanned the globe and we have raised $87,000 to date, by virtue of the support and generosity of friends, family, our school community and Tamil diaspora across North America, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, and the UK.

We are hoping to raise $100,000 in total and would greatly appreciate your support. If you would like your funds to go directly to this project, 100% of your funds are guaranteed to be spent on cataract surgeries alone if you stipulate this at the time of donating.

Our sincere and heartfelt thanks to all those who have supported us so far. To those of you who may considering doing so, please know that your donations would be the light that keeps the darkness from the lives of desperately poor people and would fund the greatest gift they will ever receive.

Best regards,

Mark, Donna, Max & Amelia Penney and Team Solihull

(Here you'll find photographs of Team Solihull’s walk and recent Cataract Camps donations have funded in Vavuniya and Kilinochchi)