Operation Eyesight India named 2022 Grow Fund Recipient

Operation Eyesight is one of 100 high impact NGOs across India selected by the GROW Fund to receive INR 80 lakhs (CAN $250,000) in funding over two years to build capabilities, resilience and future readiness.

HYDERABAD (INDIA) – Operation Eyesight India Trust is pleased to be selected as a recipient of EdelGive Foundation’s GROW Fund grant, in recognition of its critical and credible social impact work across India.  

Operation Eyesight is one of 100 high impact NGOs across India selected by the GROW Fund to receive INR 80 lakhs (CAN $250,000) in funding over two years. This unique grant enables NGOs that are both impactful and community-based to build capabilities, resilience and future readiness.  

This funding will support the expansion of programs and services of Operation Eyesight in India in order to reach more people suffering from vision loss and preventable blindness. It will also strengthen India’s health system by training women in the community to be Vision Technicians.  

“Operation Eyesight continues to make strides by eliminating preventable blindness in entire regions in India,” explains Vikas Gora, Global Director of International Programs with Operation Eyesight. “It’s exciting to receive both recognition and support for the important and life-changing work our teams are doing in the community every day.”

Operation Eyesight has established 144 vision centres nationwide and has successfully declared 1,071 villages in India avoidable blindness-free. Each vision centre serves a population of approximately 50,000 people and brings quality eye health care closer to people who may not be able to travel to the nearest hospital. These centres act as a link between communities and partner hospitals, by providing eye exams, dispensing prescription eyeglasses and referring patients when specialist treatment is needed.  

In 2021, Operation Eyesight has successfully launched 35 projects across 18 states in India, where vision loss and blindness remain a significant public health issue. This includes projects that support the integration of eye health care into India’s public health system, such as the Integrated Primary Eye Care Project in Arunachal Pradesh, which is a partnership between Operation Eyesight, Jhpeigo academic affiliates and the state Ministry of Health.

“Although 90 per cent of blindness is preventable, vision loss and blindness remain a significant driver of poverty and inequity across India and the globe,” says Operation Eyesight President & CEO Kashinath Bhoosnurmath. “The GROW Fund is unique because it is so forward-looking. This grant strengthens India’s entire health system because we prevent people from falling through the cracks when it comes to preventable blindness.”  

By addressing organizations’ development needs, the GROW Fund aims to redefine philanthropy by creating NGOs that can become more resilient in the face of disruption and sustainable in the long-term. 

“The cohort for GROW Fund grantees covers grassroots organizations working tirelessly with the underserved communities in diverse areas like poverty, health and sanitation, gender rights, education, climate, animal welfare and governance across 20 different states of the country,” says Vidya Shah, Executive Chairperson, EdelGive Foundation. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to enable these changemakers to tide over the challenges faced due to COVID-19 and increase their on-ground impact exponentially.” 

Visit operationeyesight.com to learn more about Operation Eyesight and our work in India and across the globe.