Early morning line before the doors even open
On December 23, 2012 You and Eye conducted it’s first eye clinic in the rural community of Thane, in Goa India. The program successfully tested, diagnoses and fitted with prescription glasses over 400 needy people of all ages. The gratitude expressed by the community was overwhelming and we are grateful to the hardworking supporters and youth volunteers from Goa Sudharop USA and Goa and organizations that made this all possible.
“It’s been seven years since we had a similar volunteer group come to our community” says the Panchayat representing the network of communities. “Without programs like this, our community would suffer in silence”.
On December 23, 2012, project ‘You and Eye’ was held in a rural community outside of Valpoi, India. ‘You and Eye’ is the volunteer effort coordinated by Anjali Shastri and Ryan Colaco, two youth volunteers involved in Goa Sudharop. “Our idea is to help bring basic vision care to communities who cannot afford it” says Anjali Shastri, 16. “Things we take for granted as basic human healthcare are not accessible here in Goa. We are helping to give this community a chance.”
Playing field next to the eye camp
The eye clinic was held in a very rural village in northeast Goa, India. The community is made up of approximately 700 people, in 11 villages. The nearest major city is Valpoi (population 8000) 30 minutes away by bus. The community is mainly agriculture based, working in cashew and grain plantations. “The people here struggle with putting food and clean water on the table at the end of the day. Eye care and medical attention is much lower on their priority list.” says Ryan Colaco, 16. “We were able to bring vision care to the locals and provide testing, diagnosis, and prescription glasses to over 400 needy individuals. It was very rewarding to experience their gratitude first hand.”
Project ‘You and Eye’ has coordinated 3 volunteer opticians, 20 volunteers, and fund raised over 1400 pairs of eyeglasses. This eye clinic assisting over 400 local patients, and there is still a continued need for funds to help others like them. “While we were able to meet the vision needs of the people in the community, we still need help from our communities back home to provide help to others” says Ryan Colaco. “Our fundraising goal of $2500 will allow us to help more people in need of vision care through additional eye clinics in poverty stricken areas that do not have access to this service.”
“We are so grateful for the volunteers of Project You and Eye, and anyone who has helped to donate their time, money, and effort to help our community” says the local Panchayat. “Our people suffer quietly because they have no other options for medical attention. The volunteers of You and Eye have made an impact on these people that will last a lifetime”.
We would like to extend a special thanks to Anita Pereira who came to India as the lead opthamologist and handle the more severe eye issues at the camp. While in the San Francisco area she taught Anjali and Ryan about the process of testing and fitting glasses and allowed them to use her medical facility’s equipment to determine what prescriptions were on donated glasses. Also instrumental to our success was New Eyes for the Needy, who provided over 1,000 prescription glasses to our cause. We were happy that they believed in us, and helped us make this a reality.
You and Eye 