Cure Blindness Project has established its inaugural Unsung Hero Award to recognize a supporter whose philanthropy has contributed to efforts to address avoidable blindness worldwide. The organization announced the award ahead of World Sight Day on October 8. The inaugural recipient has chosen to remain anonymous but has supported Cure Blindness Project’s efforts to provide eye care in underserved communities, strengthen eyecare facilities, and train local eyecare professionals. According to Cure Blindness Project, the donor’s support has helped cure blindness in more than 600,000 people during the past 3 years. The organization said that figure represents more than 3% of the estimated 17 million people worldwide who are currently blind due to cataracts. The donor’s support has also contributed to training eyecare personnel at multiple levels across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, with the goal of expanding local capacity to provide eye care.

Cure Blindness Project said the award is intended to recognize both the immediate impact of providing treatment for blindness and longer-term investments in the workforce, facilities, and health systems needed to expand access to eye care.

“Eliminating avoidable blindness is not the work of one organization or one individual,” said K-T Overbey, CEO of Cure Blindness Project, in a press release. “It takes skilled health professionals, strong local partners and people who believe that where someone is born should not determine whether they can see.”