In the hills of Meghalaya’s Ri-Bhoi District, Robiroy, a young community health worker from Nongpoh Vision Centre, was assigned to serve 47 villages with a population of more than 16,000. Initially, he encountered skepticism from the community, as people feared medical interventions or had misconceptions. For many, fading vision was simply part of growing old.… Continue reading Community health worker breaks down barriers with empathy before eye charts
Category: Community Health Worker
Eye health care along the Brahmaputra
Reaching the remote village of Kachikata in Assam is no small task. The journey from Jorhat, the nearest city, begins by jeep on rough roads leading down to the Brahmaputra River. From there, travellers climb onto a tiny ferry, big enough only for a handful of passengers, that takes them to Majuli Island. After the… Continue reading Eye health care along the Brahmaputra
Gender inequalities in vision loss
The oldest of five children, Thandiwe in Zambia has always looked after her younger siblings. When the village borehole broke down, she had to fetch water from the river, and her family couldn’t wash as often. Thandiwe noticed some of her siblings had itchy, red eyes. Soon, she developed the same eye condition. Her left… Continue reading Gender inequalities in vision loss
Community input helps bring new educational materials to life
A group of women and men cluster around a table, peering at an illustration on a digital drawing tablet held up by artist Anil Kumar. The illustration depicts a young girl showing her mother a school certificate. One of the women looks closely at the illustration before making a comment. “The girl should be holding… Continue reading Community input helps bring new educational materials to life