As WLEH continues to grow as a global platform for leadership, innovation, advocacy, and systems change, some of the most inspiring progress is taking place at the national level. Across India, Ghana, and Zambia, women leaders, professional networks, and local champions are creating opportunities for mentorship and collective action, demonstrating what gender-transformative leadership looks like in practice. These initiatives reflect the shared belief that when women are supported to lead, health systems become better equipped to serve communities.

In the lead up to the Global Summit for Eye Health 2026, women leaders from around the world will come together to launch Equity in Sight: A Statement of Commitment. More than a declaration, this is a collective promise to advance gender equity in eye health through action, accountability, and leadership.

One of our favorite things about the Women Leaders in Eye Health (WLEH) Coffee Hours is that they create space for the conversations many of us have been waiting to have. Recently, at the Africa Ophthalmology Congress (AOC), we brought together colleagues from across the eye health sector to discuss leadership, gender equity, and the systemic changes needed to create a more inclusive profession.

One of the most encouraging aspects of the Women Leaders in Eye Health (WLEH) Coffee Hour at the Global Ophthalmology Summit (GOS) was seeing the conversation build momentum throughout the session.

On 29 July 2026, Orbis Country Directors, Gender Champions, and program teams came together for a practical workshop focused on two of the most promising approaches emerging from the Women Leaders in Eye Health initiative: Women’s Circles and Coffee Hours.

As WLEH continues to grow, so does the need for dedicated leadership and technical expertise to help drive the initiative's next phase. Over recent months, important progress has been made in the recruitment of two key roles that will support the advancement of WLEH and Orbis's broader gender equity agenda: the Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI) Advisor and the newly established Leadership and Innovation Advisor.

Women Leaders in Eye Health is pleased to announce the launch of its Fellowship Grants, a new funding opportunity designed to support women leaders in eye health as they advance their skills and impact within their institutions, communities, and health systems.

The Women Leaders in Eye Health Advisory Council convened on 23 July 2026 for one of its most significant meetings to date, bringing together Advisory Council members, representatives from Orbis International and Seva Foundation, gender and eye health leaders from across the sector, and the WLEH team as a whole, to reflect on progress and help shape the initiative's future direction.

Coffee Hours remain a central pillar of WLEH’s national advocacy and community engagement efforts in 2026, providing a platform to convene diverse stakeholders and strengthen connections across the eye health sector.

In 2026, WLEH has continued to advance the development of a new global digital platform designed to strengthen community engagement and amplify global advocacy efforts across the eye health sector. This initiative is being led by Clare Szalay Timbo in close collaboration with the WLEH Global Advocacy team.

The WLEH team is actively working to reengage and deepen the Women Circles model, building on the cohort of facilitators trained in 2025 who are piloting their circles this year.

The Women Deliver Conference, which took place in Melbourne at the end of April, is one of the world’s largest and most influential gatherings dedicated to the health, rights, and well-being of women and girls. Bringing together thousands of decision-makers, advocates, and world leaders, it serves as a critical catalyst for driving policy change and investment in gender equality.

The WLEH team has been actively supporting the allocation and management of WLEH and Gender Funds across Orbis country offices.

We are also excited to share that the WLEH team launched, in early 2026, the recruitment of a dedicated Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Advisor staff position.

We are excited to announce the launch of the WLEH Innovation Hub, a new initiative under the Accelerator track designed to support women in eye health to move from ideas to real-world impact

As part of WLEH’s Leadership Development portfolio, 2026 marks the launch of a comprehensive Incubator–Accelerator model, an ambitious and integrated approach designed to strengthen women’s leadership and innovation in eye health.

‍At this year’s Women Deliver Conference in April 2026, the energy was undeniable—busy corridors, powerful conversations, and a shared commitment to advancing gender equality globally. Amid it all, the Orbis booth became a space for connection and reflection, where we hosted a series of informal “mini Coffee Hour” discussions bringing together partners and colleagues from across the eye health sector.

The Women Deliver Conference, which took place in Melbourne at the end of April, is one of the world’s largest and most influential gatherings dedicated to the health, rights, and well-being of women and girls. Bringing together thousands of decision-makers, advocates, and world leaders, it serves as a critical catalyst for driving policy change and investment in gender equality.

The new WLEH program implementation cycle officially runs from March 2026 to February 2027, marking the start of an exciting new phase in advancing our gender-transformative agenda.

Starting this year, Orbis and Seva are more engaged than ever in the IAPB Gender Equity Work Group (GEWG), strengthening collaboration and shared efforts to advance gender equity across the eye health sector.

A new EyesOnTomorrow podcast episode went live on World Sight Day 2025, featuring Orbis’s Gender Equity Advisor at Orbis International and Main Lead of the Women Leaders in Eye Health, Rose Namukwai. alongside global leaders in eye health. Together, they discuss the barriers women and girls face in accessing eye care, and the inspiring solutions leading the way toward equity.

WLEH held its first in-person Gender Champions and Partners’ Meeting in Addis Ababa, bringing together Seva Foundation, Orbis International, and Gender Champions from across the region to strengthen collaboration and advance women’s leadership in eye health.

Women Leaders in Eye Health was recently featured on Asaase Radio Ghana, highlighting the inaugural WLEH Conference in the Ashanti Region. The article spotlights how the event united women across Ghana’s eye health sector to advance mentorship, leadership, and gender equity under the theme “Mentorship, Breaking Barriers; Building Legacies.”

WLEH has officially launched its first Women’s Circles Facilitator Training — creating safe, connected spaces for women in eye health to share, learn, and lead together. Led by Dr. Catherine Hansen, this milestone marks the beginning of a global movement for mentorship, inclusion, and collective growth in eye health leadership.

On this International Women’s Day, we’re celebrating the achievements of women in eye health and highlighting the inspiring journey of Dr. Fatma Shakarchi, one of our 2024 WLEH Professional Development Grant recipients, from Iraq!

On World Health Day, Dr. Nonhlanhla Majola, one of our Professional Development Grant awardees, shared a powerful reflection on the need for women in eye health to unite:"Speaking to many female ophthalmologists from around the world, I’ve realized that we have common problems. We share more in common than we realize. Now, it’s time to work together to fight and solve those problems”.

In August 2025, we were honored to sit down with Caroline Casey, president of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), a global alliance of more than 250 organizations in the eye health sector across more than 100 countries.

Discover how women are transforming rural health and redefining what leadership looks like. This blog post, written by our WLEH team, highlights the powerful role women play in driving community-based solutions, strengthening eye care systems, and inspiring change.

On International Nurses Day, we spotlight Zambian ophthalmic nurse and WLEH grant recipient, Sr. Maggie Mukuka. Discover how her 26 years of sight-saving dedication and her transformative experience as an international speaker prove that empowering nurses creates a powerful ripple effect across global eye health systems.

A new peer-reviewed article in Healthcare spotlights WLEH as a model for advancing gender equity in eye health through mentorship, collaboration, and leadership development.

The Women Leaders in Eye Health initiative has launched Advancing Gender Equity in Global Eye Healthcare, the first non-clinical Gender and Eye Health course in English on Orbis’s Cybersight platform. This free course, developed through WLEH’s Training and Capacity Building for Gender Equality workstream, provides practical tools and real-world insights to help integrate gender equity into global eye health practice.