Yuliana is a 13-year-old girl who has never seen what the world really looks like. She never will. She was diagnosed with Stargardt Disease at the age of seven. Incurable and untreatable, Stargardt Disease is something that Yuliana must live with her entire life. She has no central vision. She has some peripheral vision that allows her to detect shadows and shapes and light, but there’s no knowing when that “light” will go out. For a teenager who dreams of playing the violin, riding horses, and becoming a psychologist (she clearly knows how psychologists have helped her and her family), the world is a daunting and dark place.

A device the size of a finger, an OrCam MyEye, would brighten Yuliana’s world. It can’t restore her sight, but it can help her become independent and realize some of her dreams as she heads into the rest of her teenage years and into adulthood. Unfortunately, an OrCam MyEye costs approximately $5000 USD (including tax), and in Ecuador, where the average monthly salary is under $500 USD, the device is out of financial reach for all but the most wealthy.

An OrCam MyEye attaches to the arm of a pair of glasses or sunglasses (the glasses/sunglasses simply hold the device). This clever device identifies faces, colors, products in stores, and objects such as chairs, tables, cars, etc. It reads text both on paper and on computers. Activated with a simple tap or a voice command, the OrCam MyEye’s camera would see for Yuliana and convey to her, via its speaker, what it sees. It would make it easier for her to navigate her world.

Yuliana lives with her family in Cuenca, Ecuador. Her father, a tow-truck driver, is on the road almost every day. Her four-year-old brother, who has no vision impairment, is too small to understand what Yuliana is going through. Yuliana’s mother devotes her time to her children, who, of course, have very different needs.

Yuliana goes to this school in Cuenca. It's large, and her teachers do their best to provide her with programming for her visual impairment.

Yuliana and her mother have both learned to read Braille, and Yuliana can write her homework in Braille, but her mother must translate it into Spanish for Yuliana’s teachers, who don’t read Braille. It’s a painstaking process. An OrCam MyEye would read text to Juliana, and she could learn to use a computer and type her homework using a keyboard. As her classes become more complex, this would help Yuliana learn easier and faster. She would absolutely be able to go to university and realize her dream of becoming a psychologist.

For 13 years, Yuliana has struggled to live with her visual impairment. Her parents have struggled to help her as much as possible. Now that she’s a teenager, with adulthood looming, they all have to think about her future and how she can become an independent woman and a productive member of society. An OrCam MyEye would make this possible.

Please consider helping Yuliana to become the person she wants to and deserves to be. Any amount is welcome, no matter how small.

This fundraiser was born out of a Rotary project, Misión Claridad (Mission Clarity), which took place in Cuenca, Ecuador in September of 2022. Misión Claridad's optometrist, Kavitha, a member of the YEG Passport Rotary Club in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, met Yuliana and was touched by the story of this young girl. Your help is needed to brighten her future.