12-year-old Estefany was bullied because she had two eye conditions - strabismus (squint) and ptosis (drooping of the eyelid). She lives in a two-room wooden house in San Jose Pinula, Guatemala with her three brothers, father and stepmother. Her father, a farmer, makes less than $8 a day and her stepmother, a maid, who makes even less. They were unable to afford treatment for Estefany at one of the clinics they approached. Then they found Visualiza, Seva’s partner in Guatemala, in December 2008. Estefany had first surgery in February 2009 for strabismus and the next week she had surgery for the ptosis. The surgeries have helped Estefany greatly and she has not had to deal with the pain of being called “ugly”. She does much better with her school work and has great visual acuity. Her beautiful smile speaks volumes.

Before surgery

Estefany after eye surgery

To learn more about Seva's work in Guatemala and how you can help, visit http://www.seva.ca/sevainguatemala.htm