A meaningful call brought together Know The Glow (KTG) and the Organization for Strategic Health Interventions (OSHI), uniting efforts around a shared goal: improving early childhood eye health in Tanzania. Representing KTG were Ruth Ngaruiya, Programs Manager for Africa, and Co-founder Megan Webber. From OSHI’s side, the conversation included Herieth Mganga, CEO; Joseph Banzi, one of the founders of OSHI ; and Professor Revocatus Machunda, acting chairman of the Board and an esteemed expert in environmental chemistry and public health.
The discussion opened doors to deeper engagement, as both teams shared their experiences and vision for enhancing eye care access for children. Joseph Banzi outlined OSHI’s forward-looking initiative in southern Tanzania, which focuses on equipping reproductive and child health clinics with the tools and training to detect eye conditions in children up to 5 years, but also identification of children with eye conditions at the community level from birth to 15 years of age. A key feature of this effort is the incorporation of the Arclight tool, a portable, affordable device that will enable frontline health workers to conduct effective eye screenings and refer children identified with eye conditions for further treatment to appropriate health facilities/eye clinics . Community health volunteers will also play a pivotal role, to identify and refer children in need of specialized eye care, helping to bridge the gap between early detection and treatment and using digital platforms like WhatsAppto raise awareness and share information on availability of eye services to children.
Joseph also highlighted key advocacy priorities, including integrating eye screening into national child health cards and strengthening collaboration with the Ministry of Health(National Eye Care Programme) and potential support from the Ministry in terms of training, supervision, technical support and overall guidance. Herieth emphasized how much value OSHI sees in KTG’s existing materials and expertise, noting, “KTG’s experience and materials are exactly what we need to amplify our work. We no longer feel alone in this fight.” Herieth informed the team of the upcoming meeting with the Ministry of Health to introduce OSHI and the upcoming project; part of project inception meetings.
KTG affirmed its support by offering adaptable digital awareness materials, including Kiswahili translations that can be formatted as posters or shared online by OSHI, and expressed openness to ongoing conversations on how best to support OSHI’s evolving needs.
There was a strong sense of shared purpose throughout the call. Megan Webber reflected, “With OSHI’s grassroots reach, the support of partners like Seva, and the innovation behind the Arclight tool, we have the potential to reshape how children are identified and referred for vision care. Together, we’ll ensure fewer children are overlooked.”
As the conversation drew to a close, Herieth expressed how deeply moved she was by Know The Glow’s journey, from a personal experience to a global awareness movement. The energy and alignment between the two teams signaled a promising path forward, one that could meaningfully enhance child eye health efforts across the region.
