Empower women in rural India to combat blindness

Hello to all our valued supporters, and happy Spring! Lots of exciting things are in the works with the Jiti Foundation and our partner in India, Dr. Schrof’s Charity Eye Hospital. Something we deeply value about Dr. Schrof’s approach is that they do their very best to support as many young women in their training programs as possible, even as the program grows exponentially each year. Since 2016, more than 1200 young women have participated in the Certified Ophthalmic Paramedics (COP) training program, 500 of which were recruited just in this past year! It speaks to the need and interest that these women have in a meaningful livelihood, and the opportunity to support thier communities' health and well-being. Upon completing the program, these women are then placed in rural clinics in their local areas, providing not just eye care services, but serving as a frontline structure for many other medical and health needs. We are currently collaborating with Dr. Schrof’s to determine what other areas of training and education we can help to support, so we can build on the valuable infrastructure laid by the COP program to meet other vital healthcare needs. This will also allow the women in the program to have more flexibility in their career goals and greater employability, holding a wider range of skills and experiences. This builds on the program's current goals, as COPs who graduate from the existing program already have diverse skills in multiple areas. They play a critical role in health education by conducting counseling, motivation for medical adherence, and conducting follow-up care in the community. The COPs have also been instrumental in supporting eye health screenings, screening over 5,000,000 people in Dr. Schrof’s network of clinics since the program’s inception. 

We are excited to let you know how this develops, and to share the additional areas of support and impact we will be able to provide with your generous support. 

If you would like your support to go even further, consider making a donation during the GlobalGiving April Little x Little campaign! From April 3rd-7th, all eligible donations up to $50 USD per unique donor per organization will be matched at 50% for the duration of the campaign. Join us during this campaign, and your donation goes even further! Thank you for support!