Who we are?
FEC (Friends of ERWO Canada) is a CRA registered NFP organization (registration as charity in process). FEC is the Canadian chapter of friends to augment the Mission of ERWO (Elza Retina Welfare Organization) Pakistan.
ERWO was registered in Pakistan as NPO and NGO in 2017 by an eminent eye surgeon Dr Mukhtar Ahmad, recipient of Pride of Performance, Lifetime Achievement and Living Legend Award for his humanitarian services.
Dr Mukhtar visited USA and Canada in 2018 looking for support from Pakistani Diaspora in propagating the Mission of ERWO in North America. In this regard, Dr A. Rashid, an Internal medicine practitioner from Texas and a colleague of Dr Mukhtar from med school, registered Friends of ERWO in USA in October 2019.
In the year 2022, Dr R. Siddiqui met with Dr Mukhtar in Karachi. Being impressed with ERWO services being provided in Karachi and Nawabshah, she came on board with ERWO Pakistan as a member of the Governing Body. Upon return from Pakistan, Dr Siddiqui registered Friends of ERWO Canada (FEC) in April 2023 as NFP organization. FEC is expected to receive its Charity Status in December 2023 Insha Allah. FEC is supported by a Board of Directors of a mix of seasoned and in the making of philanthropists and enthusiastic community workers.
Vision: Save the Sight
Mission: Reaching the Unreached
ERWO provides information for prevention of blindness and early detection of any eye disease to provide treatment in a timely manner. Most eye diseases lead to blindness if left untreated. ERWO services are free for those who are not able to bear the cost of the treatment.
Goals for 2024 – What are we seeking for?
FEC is looking for your support in providing access to eyecare to individuals unable to afford it. ERWO needs funds to meet its targets. We need your support in raising the funds to meet our goals. 100% of your donations will be utilized towards patient care. All admin cost is being taken care of by the donations from the community philanthropists and Al-Ain hospital.
Challenges:
ERWO aims at providing free cataract surgeries to a minimum of 30% of its patients (the other 70% are charged at the cost price of the procedure which is 1/3 of the current market price). Due to lack of funding, only 15% of patients are getting free services for cataract procedures. Each procedure costs about PKR 15000 (includes admin cost) or more depending on the type of lens. An average of 1500 cataract procedures per year are conducted at ERWO.
Imagine your $ 35 can restore vision for a person!
Another challenge currently is residential accommodation for the medical staff who are not available locally in Nawabshah. They are hired from bigger cities. There aren’t appropriate rental facilities available in Nawabshah. ERWO is constructing condominiums on the hospital land donated by a donor. ERWO is lacking about $ 80000/ to complete the project.
Every dollar donated towards this cause will be a Sadqa-e- Jaria for you.