By: Shelby Washington
“Many children, whether from impoverished or affluent families, often do not realize they have poor vision and need spectacles. Some are even unable to read because of it,” says Lions Clubs International Board Appointee, PID Sangeeta Jatia, who chairs the program in Eastern India.
Recognizing this issue, in 2002, Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) and Johnson & Johnson developed a programmatic solution: Sight For Kids (SFK). Today, SFK is the largest-known, school-based eye health program that mobilizes Lions and eye care professionals to provide comprehensive eye health services in low-income schools around the world.
The Lions in India believed SFK had incredible potential to help their local students and the program was brought to Kolkata in 2006. It is now in its 18th year of successful implementation. “With a large, underserved population, eye screening and providing spectacles was much needed. The program is primarily conducted in government-affiliated schools, municipal schools and schools catering to lower socio-economic groups, located in and around Kolkata,” says Lions Clubs International Foundation Trustee and Treasurer, PID Gurcharan Singh Hora.
The SFK Kolkata program includes correction of refractive errors, identification of students who have other abnormalities and eye diseases, training school teachers to identify basic vision problems in children, educating parents, providing eyeglasses, and referring students to selected Lions Hospitals for treatment or surgical intervention.
Additionally, 11,108 teachers and volunteers have been trained. “This project was simple, easily replicable and most importantly, had tremendous impact. That is what motivated me to get involved. It is a project that every club could take up,” says Trustee Hora.
Moreover, the program continues to see success, with the potential for new growth in the coming years. “The enthusiasm from children attending these screenings and the dedication of the clubs organizing them are what keep this program relevant even after 20 years,” PID Jatia shares.
As the program grows, its impact can be seen through personal stories of students it has helped. For example, Ripshita Ghosh is passionate about art and her studies at the Lions Calcutta Greater Vidya Mandir School in Kolkata, India, but this was not always the case. Before she was introduced to SFK, Ripshita had trouble seeing clearly at school and experienced severe headaches. One day, Ripshita returned from school with a breakthrough. The ophthalmologist from SFK told her she needed glasses. With this newfound knowledge and the doctor’s referral, Ripshita and her mother, Rakhee Ghosh, traveled to an eye clinic where she received her glasses free of charge. Wearing glasses stopped her headaches and now, Ripshita is pursuing her love for academics and watercolor painting. “Thanks to Sight For Kids, we could address this problem,” Rakhee Ghosh said.
The local community is so grateful for this program and how many children and families it has helped. “Schools and parents are very appreciative of this program. Our community screening programs also draw overwhelming support from the local families, who are thankful for help providing spectacles. They know they can always depend on Lions for their eye care needs,” says PID Jatia.
For every US$1 donated to LCIF, Sight For Kids can reach four underserved kids! Learn more about Sight For Kids and how you can help vision impaired children in need.