Royal Commonwealth Society for the Blind (Sightsavers)

The Amrita Drishti Urban Eye Health Programme (UEHP) addresses eye health needs among urban slum residents. It sets up vision centres in slums, conducts community eye screenings, and provides diabetic retinopathy checks. UEHP's primary aim is to create a sustainable primary eye care system by empowering communities and strengthening the National Health Mission (NHM). Many urban underprivileged areas lack crucial support in health, education, and livelihood. Sightsavers collaborates in major cities to establish comprehensive eye health solutions for slum dwellers. Simultaneously, it works with the Ministry of Health and the National Urban Health Mission to ensure quality eye care for urban poor populations.

In September 2017, a significant Eye Health Programme for truck drivers was launched, targeting 500,000 individuals within India's vast 9 million-strong truck driver and transporter community. This community handles 65% of the nation's road cargo transportation. Recognizing the crucial role of eye health in road safety for these hardworking truckers, Sightsavers in India introduced RAAHI, one of the nation's largest eye health initiatives. RAAHI's brilliance lies in its strategy: it spans over 30 strategic sites along India's 'golden quadrilateral,' covering crucial long-distance transport routes. These locations include permanent vision centres and temporary outreach camps, strategically placed where drivers frequently stop during their journeys.

States

West Bengal

Chhattisgarh

Bihar

Jharkhand

Madhya Pradesh

Rajasthan

Uttar Pradesh

Odisha

Sightsavers India is committed to fostering inclusivity in schools, families, and communities to support the holistic education of visually impaired children. It provides assistive devices, accessible educational materials, and offers compensatory skills training. Through technology like Braille materials, tablets, and low-vision devices, visually impaired individuals gain independence and can perform tasks efficiently. Specialized teacher training plays a central role in enrolling visually impaired students, teaching Braille, preparing them for the classroom, and providing one-on-one assistance, particularly in states like Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.

The health programme includes the Rural Eye Health Programme, targeting the considerable rural population, where access to eye care is often limited to cataract screening, neglecting other eye issues. By expanding primary eye care services in rural and remote areas through the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), Sightsavers aims to enhance community eye health, raise awareness, and combat avoidable blindness. In parallel, the Urban Eye Health Programme addresses the substantial health and support deficits in impoverished urban areas. It collaborates in major cities to establish enduring, comprehensive eye health solutions for urban slums. Its collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the National Urban Health Mission is directed at developing robust systems to grant quality eye care access to the urban underprivileged.

Focusing on economic empowerment, strengthening Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), and fostering an inclusive environment, Sightsavers India strives for the social inclusion of individuals with disabilities. This entails supporting livelihood initiatives and enhancing OPDs' capacity to advocate for themselves and their communities. The mission is to drive change in communities and schools, fostering inclusive policies for people with disabilities. This promotes their integration in healthcare, education, and income opportunities. Collaborating with the government, efforts fulfill international obligations, extending beyond healthcare to rehabilitation, equipping individuals with disabilities with skills, tools, and support for self-sufficiency.