After spending time in Ghana, Chris Yim, CC ’10, returned with his eyes wide open.
Yim had been working in Africa with CatarACT International, a group devoted to developing sustainable clinics in areas with people suffering from cataract blindness. While there, he was inspired by the group’s mission: to help communities launch “sustainable cataract reduction programs” and create a general high-volume, low-cost model for cataract surgery clinics.
Now, Yim is the New York City division director of CatarACT, and he is committed to getting Columbia involved with the organization. The Columbia chapter of CatarACT is in the process of being recognized by the Student Governing Board for club funding.
According to the CatarACT International Web site, 20 million people go blind from cataracts worldwide. The surgery costs $15 and usually only takes about five minutes. Still, there are thousands of people in West Africa with cataracts without the means to afford surgery.
With several projects in the pipeline, CatarACT International is mainly anchored by a group of young organizers pursuing medical degrees. Prajwal Ciryam, the organization’s executive director, is a third-year MD/Ph.D. candidate in the Medical Scientist Training Program at Northwestern University. Yuna Rapoport, co-creator and director of public relations is a third-year MD/MPH candidate at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University.
Ciryam worked in a hospital in Erode, India, and witnessed a novel system: revenue generated by those who could afford the surgery subsidized the cost of surgeries for those who could not afford it. Ciryam and Rapoport decided to try this system out in West Africa. CatarACT will establish its first clinic in Ghana.
“The chief goal right now is to get this pilot clinic up and running so we can show people that we know how to make this happen. Once that occurs, the opportunities will present themselves,” Ciryam explained. This “pilot clinic” is based on a model that intends to capitalize on currently existing local resources without needing to bring in doctors and equipment from other parts of the world.
While in Ghana, Yim discovered that, while “these volunteer organizations rely so heavily on continually sending volunteers ... you need the causes that you’re fighting for to be fought without volunteers having to board an airplane and go overseas. The best way to do that is to give the locals the tools to develop and make that happen.”
He added, “Hopefully, our organization will become obsolete because they won’t need us anymore.”
The Columbia chapter of CatarACT will consist of several committees, including public relations, fundraising, and programming. “It’s a unique opportunity to effect the course of history,” Yim said.
Nidhi Hebbar, CC ’12, who has also become involved in the organization, said she came to support the cause “because it’s a sustainable way to cure a problem that seems to plague a lot of people in West Africa and can easily be cured.”
Yim is optimistic that the cause will attract followers on campus, particularly due to the benefits of working in a small group, as students can take a more hands-on approach to their involvement.
“When students bring ideas to the table, they will be in close proximity to what will take effect in Ghana,” he said.
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