Empower women in rural India to combat blindness

The Jiti Foundation is thrilled to announce that, due to the generosity of donors like you, it raised the funds needed to open another new Vision Center in India in partnership with Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital (SCEH.) The Kondli Vision Center, located in East Delhi, just launched its provision of eye care services in February following a festive dedication celebration. Not only does the Vision Center provide screenings for residents of all ages, it will also identify and refer patients who need emergency and surgical care directly to SCEH in nearby Delhi. With untreated cataracts being a major cause of blindness in India, this referral service to access affordable surgical care is an amazing beneft for under-resourced communities. The Vision Center also houses a shop where those in need of good quality eye glasses can receive them free of charge or purchase them at a very affordable price.

Kondli Village was chosen as the Vision Center site because of its proximity to multiple geographic areas of need. Not only can it serve a large area of Delhi, it is also very near the border of the neighboring state of Uttar Pradesh. Both of these areas have a high proportion of low-income residents without access to quality vision services. As part of the decision-making process for the optimal location of the clinic, SCEH conducted a survey of community residents which highlighted both the need for and broad community support for the vision clinic. The clinic site is easily accessible by multiple bus lines and is nearby to several schools serving children from elementary through secondary school.

As part of its support of vision centers in India, Jiti also supports the training of young women to be Certified Opthalmic Paramedics (COP) through SCEH. Especially in the many areas where career options for women are extremely limited, the COP Program provides a wonderful opportunity to train for a rewarding and stable livelihood. The new Vision Center will provide employment for two COP graduates who will begin work as soon as their training is completed. The COP Program recruits young women from the village in which they will serve which increases the trust of local residents and also is a point of pride for them that one of their own students has achieved this success. These young women are often the sole support for their family and provide the income needed to allow younger siblings to complete school.

Looking ahead, Jiti plans to provide funding for the establishment of a new Vision Center each year, thus continuing our expansion of quality vision care in India while we empower women to be role models through helping their communities.