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VISION 2020 - The Right to Sight - India forum

The VISION 2020 - The Right to Sight: India forum was registered as a not-forprofit society under “The Societies Act of India” on 26 May 2004 (Regn. No: 48). It is a national confederate body that aims to strengthen the implementation of VISION 2020 activities in alignment with national objectives and targets and thus contributes to the global elimination of avoidable blindness. It is poised to develop into a “National Entity for Transformation, Human Resource Development, Research, and Advocacy” - NETHRA (or “eye” in Sanskrit) for eye care in India.

The national secretariat is located at Lions Aravind Institute of Community Ophthalmology of the Aravind Eye Care System in Madurai. Aravind, one of the founder members of VISION 2020 has offered to provide initial support and guidance to the national secretariat of VISION 2020 India with systems, logistics, and access to its excellent professional systems and its extensive network.

Mr. P. Kamala Manohar Swamy joined as Executive Director on 18 May 2004. He has been working as a development professional in the non-governmental sector for the past 25 years and has also received a national award for his work in rural development. He has several years of experience in the development sector in institution building, project management, capacity building, networking and resource mobilisation from government and non-governmental resources.

VISION 2020 India has started its own institutional development initiatives and is developing a series of Thrust Area Programs (TAP). ORBIS International, one of founder members, has already given a grant to support VISION 2020 India to initiate activities such as state launches, sensitisation workshops, operational research, resource material development, publication of the Indian supplement to the Journal of Community Eye Health and capacity building programmes for stakeholders across the country.

The other founder members are CBM, Sight Savers, Operation Eyesight Universal, Seva Foundation, Lions Clubs International Foundation, Dr. R. P. Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences (AIIMS, New Delhi), LV Prasad Eye Institute (Hyderabad) and the Aravind Eye Care System. These organisations have joined ORBIS to extend their partnership support to VISION 2020 India to pursue the global objectives of VISION 2020. They currently constitute the management board of this new organisation.

The management board has met for the first time since the constitution of this organisation on July 9 to define the activities of VISION 2020. A detailed report with clear articulation of the deliverables at the national level will be presented in the next issue. With the support of LVPEI, VISION 2020 India has been facilitating the publication of the Indian supplement of the Journal of CEH. VISION 2020 India will evolve strategies to work closely with the Government of India and the state governments so that it brings a synergy to the eye care activities of its members in a manner that aligns with national and global objectives. VISION 2020 India was born out of the recognition of the significant contribution to eye care by the non-governmental sector. This should evolve into a platform for closer cooperation and collaboration within the NGO sector, both International and National towards making the VISION 2020 National Plan of Action a reality.

The plan for next Quarter:

• Inviting membership from eye care organizations - INGOs, NNGOs, teaching hospitals and the corporate sector in the country

• Preparation for celebration of World Sight Day on 14 October

• Appreciation workshop for the stakeholders on VISION 2020

• Initiating a series of activities in the areas of advocacy, human resource development, operational research, etc., through partner organisations to develop eye care protocols, best practices, curricula and other resources

We request the eye care fraternity in India to join us in the eradication of avoidable blindness in our country.