Dear Friends of SEE,

Here at SEE, we measure our success in relation to how many lives we are able to transform with our sight-restoring work. It is my absolute pleasure to announce that in 2019, SEE successfully performed over 50,000 surgeries and served over 80,000 patients across the globe, our highest numbers achieved in the history of our organization. This year, our annual report is inspired by one of the many cultures that we have the opportunity to work with while traveling for our international programs. Throughout the pages of this report, we will be celebrating the Filipino culture by featuring the Masskara Festival, otherwise known as the Festival of Smiles.

This annual cultural tradition is a festival dedicated to representing happiness with brightly colored masks decorated with feathers and beads to accompany wide smiles. Historically, this celebration was intended to relieve grief and bring happiness and hope during difficult times. By restoring sight around the world, SEE brings happiness and hope to the lives of not only our patients, but their families and friends, as they are relieved of the unnecessary burdens brought upon by preventable blindness. The Filipino Festival of Smiles so closely represents the goal of our organization, as the gift of sight brings happiness by enabling people to see the beauty that exists in the world.

We are excited for you to join us as we revisit our organization’s 2019 highlights with the many colorful masks and patterns of the Masskara Festival. With the hard work and dedication of our partners, supporters, and volunteers, SEE has been able to provide accessible eyecare to underserved communities worldwide while aiding in the development of sustainable in-country systems. In the US, we have further expanded our programs and explored new territories, and our local Santa Barbara Vision Care Program has increased the number of patients served by 75% since last year.

In 2019, SEE was also able to spread awareness of the preventable blindness epidemic through our newest short film, Second Sight, which has won many awards and been featured in various local film festivals. We also established two new medical school partnerships with UC Irvine and the University of Colorado, and successfully completed our first year of our V2020 LINKS Program between the Rwandan International Institute of Ophthalmology and Wills Eye Hospital.

As we look back on the lasting impact SEE International made in 2019, we would like to sincerely thank each and all of our donors, volunteers, and supporters that have made our humanitarian work possible. As you turn the pages of this report, we invite you to gaze upon the impact you’ve helped create, and catch a glimpse of the countless smiles brought upon by the joyous gift of sight!

Sincerely,