Context
This project will be implemented in Jalpaiguri, which is a district of West Bengal, a state in the North East of India.
Jalpaiguri is one of India's poorest districts. Around 50% of the population live in mountainous forest areas and in extreme poverty. A high percentage of people are from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Desperately needed eye care is often inaccessible, both for the costs of treatments and for the lack of distance to health facilities. Many people don't know that eye diseases can be treated.
Supported project
In 2020, L'OCCITANE Italy and the L'OCCITANE Foundation will support Sightsavers project to reduce childhood blindness by ensuring children access to quality eye health services thanks to schools' involvement. Teachers are trained to conduct primary eye screening, so that all pupils are screened and, when needed, receive full eye examinations and glasses and are correctly referred to the partner base hospital for further treatment or surgeries. Awareness activities will be carried out in schools, families and communities.
As well as improving eye health, this project improves learning and transforms the life chances of some of India's most isolated and marginalized children. Indeed, children who cannot see properly are more likely to underperfom academically or to drop out fo school altogether. Missing out on their eduucation not only impacts their own chance of a better life but affects their families, their communities and the wider development of their country. That is why it is so important to ensure children access to quality eye health services. This project aims to ensure systems are strengthened and sustainable, so that future generations are not disadvantaged due to sight loss.
Some figures
Budget 20.000 euros
Results 331,224 beneficiaries
