Empower women in rural India to combat blindness

The Jiti Foundation Winter 2022 Report
Lucy Gorham - Project Leader

Your Contributions are Making a Difference!
Warmest thanks to our GlobalGiving donors for their incredible support of our work empowering young women and fighting blindness in India. We’re happy to report that, despite the considerable challenges posed by the pandemic, the Certified Opthalmic Paramedics (COP) training program has continued to recruit, train, and graduate students at Dr. Schroff's Charity Eye Hospital (SCEH) in Delhi and find placements for them to launch their careers in both rural and urban eye care clinics. To date, more than 785 women have been enrolled in the COP program and now make up more than 50% of the staff across Dr. Schroff's vision centers in Delhi and the states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand -- all areas with high rates of poverty and avoidable blindness.
Supporting Higher Education for COP Graduates: the Jiti-Mahinder S.Gill Scholars Program Launches!
One of the significant lessons from the COP program is that some graduates aspire to pursue higher education after COP graduation. To make this possible, the Jiti Foundation has established the Mahinder S. Gill Scholars Program which will support two COP graduates each year as they complete a one year University Fellowship Program. The Fellowship will strengthen their existing skills, broaden their perspective, and make them market-ready for even higher-skilled jobs. The university degree from will not only provide increased promotional avenues but will also improve employees' morale and motivation.
Initially, one young woman from each of the following COP streams will be selected to continue onto the Fellowship Program with the support of the Gill Scholars Program:
1)One Vision Technician for completion of the the Optometrist Diploma; and
2) One Ophthalmic Nursing Assistant to complete the Nursing Diploma.

Above: A class of COP graduates after receiving diplomas in the midst of the Covid19 pandemic.
Two New Vision Clinics Will Provide More Training Opportunities
Thanks to your support, the Jiti Foundation provided funds for two new vision clinics at Dr. Schroff’s Charity Eye Hospital in Delhi that will deepen the training that COP graduates receive and allow them to further specialize in one of four areas: ophthalmic assistant, vision technician, patient educator, and medical record assistants. The new clinics will also expand the ability of the vision hospital to serve the needs of poor patients in Delhi and surrounding areas. We look forward to sharing more about the progress of these new clinics in the months ahead.
COP Profiles -- the Women Who Inspire the Jiti Foundation
To highlight how important this ongoing support is for these young women, we want to introduce you to another successful and inspiring COP graduate:

Sushila joined the COP program in 2014 and graduated in 2016. She now holds a position at the Mohammadi Hospital. Sushila started her career in the opthamalogy ward and has now advanced to working as an assistant in the operating theater. From Sushila’s perspective, this plan has completely changed her life. She has become financially independent, enjoys meeting a wide variety of new people, and says she has become a lot more confident. Using her own experience as an example, she motivates other young women to look beyond their homes and become more independent. This program has helped her to gain knowledge and expertise in eye health and she educates other people in how to protect their eyesight. She thanks the Jiti Foundation for supporting the COP program and helping her in what she has accomplished.

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