The Himalayan Cataract Project (HCP) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to curing needless blindness with high-quality, cost-effective eye care in underserved areas of the world.
While HCP has a large and loyal audience, the organization’s messaging was beginning to feel a bit stale. It lacked the personality and warmth to elicit trust from donations from its followers.
Starting in October of 2022, I began copywriting for their blog and newsletters with the goal of bringing their work to life through brand storytelling.
How 15 minutes changed 12-year old Felicia’s life
Published Feb. 27, 2023
Felicia Mensah took her first steps at only nine months old. By age 10, her world was blurry around the edges. Nevertheless, Felicia dreamed of becoming a nurse, and then a seamstress – so she could “make nice clothes for [her] mother, grandparents, and siblings.”
As Felicia’s vision deteriorated, her mother Georgina feared that her little girl’s dream may never come true.
Felicia was facing early-onset cataracts.
Providing eye care to Nepal’s most remote communities
Published Feb. 27, 2023
You’ve seen breathtaking vistas of the Himalayas or snapshots of Everest’s imposing slopes in one documentary or another. Imagine, then, the cruel irony of being surrounded by such beauty, yet unable to partake of it.
That is the fate of many of Phaplu’s residents, especially the elderly who live well into their eighties in this harsh climate despite the cold, the altitude, and the geographic isolation.
Phaplu – known as the gateway to Everest – is a small town in the Solukhumbu District of eastern Nepal. It is one of the most remote inhabited regions of the country with very little infrastructure and therefore, hardly any access to basic healthcare facilities.
While there is an airport in Phaplu, airfare is far beyond reach for locals. For them to reach Nepal’s capital of Kathmandu, they would have to drive 11 hours up and down winding, mountainous roads. Even if they undertook such a journey, the cost of travel, treatment, and hotels would be prohibitive for most.
Last fall, together with our partners in Nepal, HCP supported a surgical outreach at Tilganga’s Community Eye Center in Phaplu.
HCP Cureblindness Launches the Virtual Classroom to Eliminate Gaps in Ophthalmology Residency Education
Published Feb. 27, 2023
In Ethiopia alone, there are approximately 59 ophthalmologists for every 1 million patients.
These ophthalmologists are swamped, and yet they are expected to mentor and teach aspiring ophthalmologists – or residents – on top of their day-to-day patient care duties. Residents are often used as extra hands to help with the high volume of patient care at the expense of their education.
The result is that ophthalmologists and residents alike are overwhelmed, under-resourced, and burnt out. Unfortunately, some residents burn out entirely before they even begin practicing, which only worsens the problem because young doctors are turned away from the field further contributing to this shortage.
Brand Storytelling:
The Monthly HCP Newsletter
HCP’s newsletter content varied from month to month depending on the organization’s needs, but we came up with a general template to help spark ideas. This template included:
- A feature story with an emotionally compelling quote
- A patient story (sometimes included in the feature)
- An organizational announcement or report on a recent outreach
- A story on HCP’s partners and/or educational efforts
This framework proved a useful foundation for brainstorming, though we encouraged flexibility to adapt the messaging as needed.
In addition to newsletters, I assisted with writing email sequences for fundraising campaigns, press releases for organizational announcements, and other such communications.
