A man is carrying his mother, who suffers from cataracts and cannot see. They have been walking for days through difficult terrain to a vision center in rural India. Periodically, he sets her down to feed her. The next morning, after recovering from a 15-minute surgery to remove the cataracts, she walks back home side by side with her son.
It is a story that Kate Moynihan, CEO and executive director of nonprofit eye-care organization Seva, heard upon being hired in 2017 and hasn’t forgotten.
“The dignity of a mom being able to walk shoulder to shoulder and not be a burden seared into my memory,” said Moynihan, adding that often someone doesn’t take a job, go to school or get married because they need to care for a family member who can’t see. “And we have hundreds of thousands of stories just like that one.”
A clear vision
Seva means selfless service in Sanskrit. The organization, which is the MDRT Foundation’s charity partner at the 2025 MDRT Annual Meeting, has provided eye care service, such as surgeries, eyeglasses and medicine, to more than 64 million people in 22 countries since 1978. In locations including Nepal, Guatemala, Cambodia and the U.S., treatment occurs through a localized, sustainable approach that empowers communities that otherwise would not have services to help people with vision impairment.
This care is delivered at vision centers, where a sliding scale means people who can’t pay have charges subsidized and access to trained providers who speak the local language. In addition to referrals from patients, Seva works with local groups to spread the word about the vision centers, where 80% of the patients’ needs can be addressed and the remaining 20% can be done at a partner hospital.
Within three years of opening, each center is financially sustainable, needing only $50 per cataract surgery and $6 to screen a child.
And the benefits are profound for the more than 1 billion people worldwide who have preventable or treatable vision impairment. According to university and other professional studies, Seva identified that for every $1 a country invests in eye care, the return is $36 back in productivity. A study during the early 1980s in Nepal identified sight as a primary contributor to poverty, and another more recent study showed that vision loss costs Guatemala more than the income it receives from exporting coffee. Seva is progressing toward the goal of eradicating blindness as an economic hindrance for that Central American country within the next eight to 10 years.
“We’ve been behind some of the most groundbreaking research, proving on a lot of levels the value of restoring sight,” Moynihan said. “When countries don’t address vision loss, they’re losing hundreds of millions of dollars.”
Looking for involvement?
At the MDRT Annual Meeting, Seva will take attendees on an experiential journey, blending emotional stories with powerful data to showcase the true impact of their contributions. Through real-life transformations, compelling facts and firsthand accounts, they will witness how a simple intervention — like a pair of glasses or a 15-minute surgery — can change a child’s life forever. Additionally, there will be an interactive element at the booth, allowing members to engage directly with Seva’s mission in a meaningful way. Members will have the opportunity to participate in a potential match campaign, doubling the impact of their support to help children receive critical eye care that can restore sight, create lasting change and unlock brighter futures.
Want to get involved in other ways? Moynihan encourages you to write to Seva about how you would like to participate. People under 21 can participate in Seva’s youth ambassador program; those over 21 typically don’t volunteer on-site due to the language barrier, though in-person involvement may be possible for someone who speaks the local language. Seva’s “boots on the ground” tours also have brought individuals and organizational donors to see in person what they have helped make possible.
Anyone who contributes (even as a wedding, birthday or bar mitzvah gift, or charitable donation) will join a group that includes late Apple founder Steve Jobs, who helped finance Seva in its early days. (One of Seva’s biggest health studies was done on one of the original Apple computers.) Artists including the Grateful Dead, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Joan Baez, Jason Mraz and Seth MacFarlane have performed on Seva’s behalf.
Yet, the organization’s work isn’t about famous names. It’s about the impact on individuals, families and communities. Julie Nestingen, Seva’s chief philanthropy officer, recalls a 2015 trip when Seva opened a vision center in a very remote village in Nepal. Nestingen said to a woman that she must be so excited for her father, who was receiving cataract surgery.
“She said, ‘I’m excited too.’ She had her life back because her father could live independently, and there was a ripple effect on their family,” Nestingen said. “The look on their faces, if you could see their smiles, it still gives me goosebumps.”
Endorse a charity to receive funding through the MDRT Foundation’s Global Grants Program by scanning the QR code. Deadline for applications is September 1.
