Donner Canadian Foundation

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a potentially blinding eye condition the primarily affects premature and low birthweight infants. It can lead to vision loss and ultimately blindness in these tiny babies.

ROP is the world’s leading cause of childhood blindness and is quickly emerging as a serious public health issue in Bangladesh. As the nation’s maternal, neonatal and child health services have improved, more premature babies are surviving to term. However, a lack of knowledge, training, modern medical equipment, and effective screening protocols for ROP in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) has led to an explosion of ROP, particularly among families in rural communities.

There are more than 3 million babies born annually in Bangladesh, with approximately 400,000 of these babies born prematurely. 70% (or 280,000) of these babies are born in isolated rural areas outside the country’s capital city, Dhaka. Recent studies have found that up to 35% of premature babies born in rural areas develop ROP. Screening for ROP remains limited across Bangladesh, so the prevalence of the condition is likely even higher than these figures indicate.

With the continued support of the Donner Canadian Foundation, we're working to improve the availability and quality of eye care services for newborns and children by scaling up pediatric eye care capacity – with a specific focus on ROP screening, treatment and referral services – in underserved peri-urban and rural areas.

Woking closely with Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) and the Institute of Child and Mother Health (ICMH), the Strengthening Comprehensive Eye Care for Children and Newborns in Rural Bangladesh project focuses on the following key activities:

• Improving access to high-quality pediatric eye care services for newborns and children in peri-urban and rural communities in Dhaka, Narayanganj and surrounding districts.
• Increasing the number of specialists, ophthalmic/medical personnel and support staff trained in ROP screening, identification, diagnosis, treatment and/or management to ensure the best possible care for newborns.
• Expanding and strengthening a community-driven referral network for newborn and child eye care.
• Increasing eye health awareness among parents to shift cultural perceptions, improve positive health seeking behaviour and drive demand for pediatric eye care services, including ROP.
• Strengthening the framework and model for sustainable delivery of high-quality child eye health services through collaboration and advocacy at multiple levels across the health service.
  

We will also work closely with our partners to deliver community eye screening programs, eye health education events and eye health messaging targeting parents with newborns and young children in rural areas. Community outreach programs are an effective tool for addressing many of the key barriers to accessing eye care that families in remote regions often face.

The Donner Canadian Foundation was established in 1950 by William H. Donner. In the mid-1960s, the Foundation began to focus on specific program interests, among these, research on public policy. The Donner family chose Canada's centennial year, 1967, to embark on a course of professional grantmaking that has contributed well over $150 million to almost 2,500 projects across Canada and around the world.

In addition to ongoing funding of public policy research, the Foundation supports environmental, international development, and social service projects. Every year, the Donner Book Prize honours the best book on Canadian public policy, and the Foundation's lecture series features some of the world's most influential speakers. The Foundation is guided by a Board of Governors composed of representatives of the Donner family and prominent Canadians from a variety of fields.