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Every year, dozens of the most vulnerable infants in the world â"
premature infants weighing less than three pounds â" are born at
Alanya Training and Research Hospital on the Mediterranean coast
of Türkiye. Each one faces an invisible threat: Retinopathy of
Prematurity (ROP), a rapidly progressing eye disease that, if not
caught in time, causes permanent, irreversible blindness. There is
no second chance. The critical treatment window is narrow, and
delay means darkness â" for life.
Today, those babies must be bundled into cars and transported
135 kilometers to Antalya for the specialized screening they need.
For families already stretched thin â" many without private
insurance, some traveling from rural communities with no vehicle
of their own â" this journey is a crisis layered on top of a crisis.
Missed appointments are common. Follow-up care falls through.
And the clock keeps ticking.
The Early Light project will change that. Through a partnership
between the Rotary Club of Alanya and the Rotary Club of Lake
Oswego, this initiative will equip Alanya Training and Research
Hospital â" the primary public healthcare provider for 1.3 million people â" with two essential pieces of
technology: a pediatric wide-field retinal imaging system for early ROP diagnosis, and a laser treatment
device for immediate intervention. For the first time, premature infants in this region will receive life-
changing care right where they are born.
The project goes beyond equipment. Hospital doctors, nurses, and technicians will receive comprehensive
hands-on training. Parents will be guided with clear educational materials on screening, treatment, and
follow-up. A structured monitoring program will track outcomes every six months, ensuring the impact is
real and lasting. The hospital will absorb all ongoing operating costs, making this a permanent upgrade to
the regional healthcare system â" not a one-time intervention.
Please send an email to Alan.bazzaz@gmail.com if you're interested in making a pledge. We don't need the funds now
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