Sponsor the cost of spectacles for the underprivileged by Rural Health Care Foundation

Sponsor the cost of spectacles for the underprivileged

Thank you!

This program is fully funded because of donors like you.

Impact

A pair of spectacles that helped Sobha from losing her livelihood

Sobha is a 42-year-old and lives in Kusumgram. She works at a small handicraft shop in her village. She had three young children. Sobha was the only earning member in her family. She had the sole responsibility of their livelihood and of her children's education.

A few months ago, she started to suffer from severe headaches. This affected her focus and precision. Her headaches and blurred vision hindered her work. It led to difficulties in carrying out her daily chores.

Her supervisors started rebuking her for the errors she was making. She feared that she might lose her job if she continued to make mistakes.

She couldn't afford expensive check-ups with her low income. She was entirely at a loss, and her condition worsened.

One of her neighbors then referred her to the RHCF health center. She decided to visit the center of Rural Health Care Foundation for a check-up. She attended the center once she came to know that the fee charged was nominal and within her reach.

The health center clinic was well-equipped with qualified professionals. They guided Sobha and assisted her with a proper eye check-up.

She was given a pair of spectacles at a subsidized rate for correcting her vision. She was also prescribed with eye-drops and medicines.

The spectacles and medication have helped Sobha regain her vision. Now her work doesn't get affected and she does not live in fear of losing her job.

She visits the health center for regular checks.

Sobha, grateful for the help, now recommends the health center to all her friends and family. **Without simple support like a pair of spectacles, Sobha would have lost her job and only source of income. She would have struggled to raise and educate her children. A simple help she has received has saved her livelihood.

You can also help poor patients get access to spectacles. You can donate so that they can continue to live their regular lives and earn their living. You can give with confidence because every program listed is GIVEASSURED.

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Giveassured

By donating to this program

You will be sponsoring the benefits for different beneficiaries every month


About The Program

What the beneficiary gets
Eye Care
Transport
What you get
Tax Exemption
Periodic Reports
Program Description

Rural Health Care Foundation (RHCF) is an organization striving to address the gap in the availability of low-cost primary health care in rural areas.

One unit of donation to this program covers the cost of providing spectacles for ten poor patients. This includes frames, lens, charges for fitting lens and packaging of the spectacles as well as traveling, conveyance and other related expenses.

The goal of RHCF is to set up primary health care centers in the remotest areas of the country, providing OPD facilities as well as medication to the low income, hard to reach people of India.

In each of the centers, the health center has a good eye department with the best instruments to facilitate the doctor in discharging his duty.

After the preliminary eye checkup, the patients are given the prescriptions which includes information on the power of the lenses. All the different prescriptions are gathered and sent to the RHCF Head Office in Kolkata.

The prescriptions are then sent to the manufacturer of lenses for further processing. After scrutinizing each spectacle, they are packed and sent back to the respective centers for distribution to the correct patients.

Spectacles are given to the patients free of cost or at a very subsidized cost.

The program has helped 38726 people with spectacles since the inception of the program

When you donate to this program, you help an underprivileged patient who can't afford spectacles a chance to see again. This can be the means to their livelihood and the source of income to their family.

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About The NGO

Rural Health Care Foundation
Rural Health Care Foundation Logo
Rural Health Care Foundation

Rural Health Care Foundation (RHCF) is a non profit organisation based out of Kolkata. It offers primary healthcare to the underprivileged community through a chain of 15 primary health centres located in remote rural regions of West Bengal and the urban slums of Kolkata.

Against a nominal amount of Rs. 60 ($0.89) a patient receives consultation, treatment and free medicines for a week. A project started by two brothers, has now transformed to an initiative serving millions of patients per year and generating employment for many.

The organization was set up following the prolonged suffering of one of its founders with cancer, since an early age. This exposed to him and his brother, the lack of quality health care facilities in India, particularly so for the rural poor. The brothers got together with like-minded people and established RHCF which provides low cost, quality health care in rural areas based on a model that is scalable, sustainable and replicable.

Anant and Arun Nevatia wound up their booming construction business and started this initiative for the poor. He realised there is no end to money making and he decided to give back to society. Taking this vision forward the brothers started this initiative to provide health care to the poor.

RHCF centres run six days a week throughout the year. They have treated over 15 lakh patients in their 15 primary health care centres.

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founders
Founded in 1991
NGO Leadership

Shreyas Nevatia

areas of operation
Area of Operation
Area of Operation

Medical Supplies | health

location of work
Location of Work
Location of Work

West Bengal

awards
Awards And Recognitions
Awards And Recognitions

2017: Best Achiever Award

2016: Special Consultative Status at United Nations

2017: Environmentalist Award

2015: Rex Karmveer Award

2014: Heroes behind heroes

2016: Best NGO To Work For 2011

2016: India Healthcare Award

2016: Senior National Championship

2017: Charities Aid Foundation

last audited
Last Audited
Periodic Compliance Checks by GiveIndia

Renewals FY 19-20

Program Updates

Program Updates

22 September, 2023

An update on the program you are supporting

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Activities and work undertaken in the last 5-6 months

We provided spectacles to a total of 1597 beneficiaries, a portion of whom were supported by Give India We served our communities through our rural centres in Helan (Hooghly district), Jagatballavpur (Hooghly district), Jamtala (South 24 Parganas district), Kusumgram (Purba Bardhaman district), Manigram (North 24 Parganas district), Mayapur (Nadia district), Patuli (Purba Bardhaman district), Pirtala (Murshidabad district) and Swarupnagar (North 24 Parganas district). We also have centre in Regent Park and Zakaria Street of Kolkata for the urban underprivileged. While the rural centres served 360+ villages, our urban unit ensured care for the marginalised communities of Kolkata and Greater Kolkata.


Challenges faced and next steps

We provided low-cost good quality prescription glasses to our patients. We had been focused on empowering the underserved with better and stronger health but we had been observing a certain degree of neglect for eye issues.


Stories from the ground

55 year old Latifa had been having vision issues for quite a while. She loved stitching but lately couldn't thread needles easily. She always needed someone's help with it. Even everyday work was getting difficult for her. She was thinking about seeking treatment but the usual cost of spectacles kept her from getting her eyes checked. Latifa and her family constantly struggled with poverty so healthcare was never prioritized unless the problem was severe. Considering the lack of proper health education in the rural communities, eye care was neglected even further. Latifa, however, did not have to suffer for long as she found out about our services and choose to visit us for an eye-check up. Our optometrist diagnosed the problem. It was simple--she needed glasses! Latifa got her prescription spectacles from our centre with ease and at a very low cost. Joy gleamed in her eyes, now with clearer vision and sight.


5 December, 2022

Improved Vision for an Empowered Life

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Activities and work undertaken in the last 5-6 months

We completed 13 years of commitment to our rural poor communities in March. In these years, as we worked determinedly for our rural poor communities, we observed the continued inadequacy of the healthcare facilities. The communities, tries their hardest to persevere but even the basic medical care, such as availability of eye care and prescription glasses, is often inaccessible. Our healthcare centres which provide spectacles at subsidized rates, strives to counter this.

Between January and June 2022, we continued to provide the spectacles at each of our units in Mayapur of Nadia district, Swarupnagar and Manigram of North 24 Parganas district, Kusumgram as well as Patuli of Purba Bardhaman district, Helan and Jagatballavpur of Hooghly district, Jamtala of South 24 Parganas district and our newest centre in Pirtala of Murshidabad district.

This newest and 9th primary healthcare centre was opened on May 21st, 2022 as part of our expansion efforts for our under-served rural people. This centre too provided patients with spectacles at low cost and, in the little more than 1 month operation, it gifted 13 people with clearer vision with prescription glasses.

Within these 6 months, a total of 1007 people could see clearly again. All of them checked their eye power at our centres and got their glasses from the same units. They didn't need to travel long distances and didn't have to pay for costlier glasses. With the support of our donors, we could ensure proper prescription glasses for them with ease.


Challenges faced and next steps

The challenges from the pandemic had eased but the fear and apprehension among the communities had required us to continuously educate, counsel and encourage them to seek care when needed. The penetration of proper eye care, including use of spectacles, is very low among the rural communities--a likely result of the inadequacy of medical services and lack of education. So our work had always focused on counselling and educating the communities while treating them. To counter the problems, our rural people were facing, only made us boost these efforts. The patient footfall had been low during and after the 2nd wave. Fewer people had sought eye check ups and spectacles. We knew people still needed care but the low count indicated that they were choosing to live with difficulty, instead of visiting healthcare centres in fear of catching COVID. So we continued to educate them, gently encourage them. Our efforts helped. Within these 6 month, while still fighting against every challenge, we also saw more people seek care and a solution to their poor eyesight.

Observing the impact we have with our efforts, we will continue work with vigour during the next 6 months too. We also plan to open two more rural healthcare units during this time and restart one of our urban clinics. These centres would also make spectacles available to the poor and low-income patients at a subsidized cost.


Stories from the ground

For the poor and deprived communities, education can a be a strong tool against poverty. It can pave a path for a better future. So, it is crucial that the people, especially children, can have unhindered access to learning and with easy access of medical care, including spectacles, one can ensure improvement of their lives. Little Riya's family is looking to ensure that for her.

Riya had come to our centre in Kusumgram for her eye troubles. She's a student and for children like, Riya, school can become a weapon against the extreme poverty. She could easily receive her treatment. While many social challenges to education remained, she didn't need to face any hurdle of healthcare. With the simple care, we could open a path of empowerment and an improved life for the little girl.


31 May, 2022

Improved Vision for the Under-served People

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Activities and work undertaken in the last 5-6 months

In remote rural areas, proper eye checkups and spectacles are not easily available. At our centres, we have been providing patients with prescription glasses at a subsidized cost. Patients visit the optometry department for their eye checkups. Proper spectacles are provided to them according to the results.

Between July and December 2021, we provided spectacles to 1095 patients.


Challenges faced and next steps

Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have been combating challenges. Lack of education and proper information among the rural communities resulted in extreme and irrational fear of transmission. There had also been restrictions in proper transportation. Despite their ailments and illnesses, many of the patients had been unwilling to visit a clinic. Most were scared of contracting COVID.

During this time, we focused on spreading awareness among the communities. Our determined and relentless efforts made an impact and increased our patient numbers. More people felt encouraged to seek treatment, instead of suffering and worsening their conditions.

Our plan for the next 6 months is to continue our efforts at treating and educating our communities. We are also planning to expand the reach of primary care with new centres in healthcare-deprived areas.


Stories from the ground

40-year-old Mahinur Bibi had been having eye issues for over a year but hadn't been able to seek treatment because of the pandemic. She is a homemaker and her husband earns little as a farm labourer. They have a young daughter.

We helped her with her treatment. She got a proper check-up done by our optometrist. With proper spectacles, she is no longer affected by her eye problem.


1 October, 2021

Clear Vision -- Spectacles for the Underprivileged Communities in Rural Bengal

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Activities and work undertaken in the last 5-6 months

During the last few months, we continued our efforts of doing eye check-ups and making spectacles easily accessible to the poor and under-served communities residing in remote rural areas of West Bengal. Between January and June 2021, we provided spectacles to a total of 570 patients, taking our total beneficiary count for prescription glasses (since inception) to 48,618. For the rural poor, proper spectacles can make a significant difference in their lives. They work hard to earn their living. Vision problems often make it difficult to do so. Even for children with eyesight issues, spectacles are a tool that helps them continue their education. Yet, many find it hard to procure them.Most low-income communities residing in remote rural Bengal find it difficult to access the most basic medical services near their homes. For most of our patients, our centres—functioning across different districts of West Bengal—are the only ones they can visit with ease. The ones we served during this time had been struggling even more severely because of the pandemic would have found it extremely difficult to get prescription glasses.However, because of the generosity of our donors, they are able to get them without straining their limited earnings.


Challenges faced and next steps

The COVID-19 crisis has thrown quite a few challenges at us. Repeated spikes in cases and lockdowns have been making it difficult for patients to reach our centres. The difficulties aren’t eased even after restrictions are lifted as the areas have limited means of transportation and their operators hike the charges, making the commute more expensive for the financially strained communities. To combat these, we have continued to make our services affordable for our patients. We have operated our centres throughout the lockdown so that when needed treatment they could visit us. Many rural residents, because of a lack of proper information and education about the outbreak, had been unwilling to visit healthcare centres in fear of getting infected. Others had been wary of wearing masks. We had been observing this since the lift in the 1st lockdown so our teams had been spreading awareness among the patients and their accompanying family members about the virus and safety measures. This time, with the 2nd wave, we noticed the impact of the efforts. Though most of them had been scared of the virus, especially because of the variant’s high transmissibility, many showed more willingness to visit the centres and all of them wore masks. We have faced difficulties in fundraising as well, with many of our donors, understandably, facing financial constraints from the economic effects of the pandemic. This has especially been concerning because of the rising cost of medicines and medical equipment that has increased our cost of operations. We are, however, determinedly trying to continue our mission without hindering the quality of care and have made cutbacks to our budget to counter the challenges.


Stories from the ground

Story from the ground:Supada Mondal is 78 years old but like many poverty-stricken rural residents, he still works hard to earn his living. He sells vegetables and while two sons support the family as well, their total income has only been enough to sustain themselves with relative ease. With the lockdowns and restrictions on trains, however, the family’s earnings have been affected. Supada, who had been visiting us for many years, had noticed problems with his vision. After his check-up, our optometrist found issues in his posterior cavity, which was likely caused because of his mature age, along with refraction errors. He was recommended prescription glasses. The spectacles he received from us cleared his vision. He could see well again. For elderly patients like him, eye issues often affect their quality of life. When they are earning members of their household, the problems also impact their income. For Supada, however, his vision improved with ease and without any strain to his and his family’s income—the result of the benevolence of our donors.


23 March, 2021

Spectacles: A simple way to improve lives

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The poor and under-served communities have a tough life. They can never really rest. To earn their living, they have to keep working and that includes having a clear vision. Yet, when their vision weakens, their meager income often doesn’t allow them to buy proper glasses.
At Rural Health Care Foundation, we have been providing eye checkup and spectacles at each of our rural healthcare centres. The patients get their eyes checked by our optometrists, get their eyeglass prescription from them and then receive the spectacles that help them see with clearly.
With the shortage in healthcare facilities, the rural poor in West Bengal don’t always have access of eye care and low-cost glasses. Even now we continue to see patients whose earnings have dwindled because of poorer vision. For these patients, each day’s income is needed for their and their family’s survival. We see elderly patients whose quality of life have been affected by their vision problems and children whose future is often at stake. Vision issues affected many in the communities and even during this pandemic, we have been helping them with glasses.
Our efforts have been aimed towards helping them have a better quality of life and a clearer vision is often all it takes it give them that.



5 July, 2020

Subsidized spectacles for poor - corrected vision despite limited income

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Subsidized spectacles for poor - corrected vision despite limited income




Poverty shouldn’t come in the way of correcting someone’s vision. With eye check ups and spectacles in subsidized prices, we have corrected the visions of many a poor without affecting their income. The last quarter over 770 underprivileged people received their spectacles from our centres. Their eyes had been examined by our optometrists.
Vision problem not only affects the daily work and livelihood of people, but also hinders the children’s ability to study and the quality of life of the elderly. We have come across patients whose lives had been severely disrupted because of low vision but with our low-price spectacles, these underprivileged patients are now going about their days with clearer eyesight.



19 November, 2019

Eye check-up being conducted for spectacles

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Eye check-up being conducted for spectacles






22 July, 2019

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Program Update


Low-income rural communities, despite eye problems, have difficulty purchasing spectacles because of cost and lack of facilities. At RHCF health care centres, spectacles are provided at a highly subsidized rate, making it easier for communities to avail them. Regular access to our optometry department helps them further. Between January and March 2019, we provided spectacles to 793 people. They received consultation from our optometrist and have better vision now. Our plan for the next quarter remains the same, determinedly helping our communities with low-cost services. We plan to reach out to more underserved people in need of glasses at subsidized prices so that their vision isn’t affected.


Story from the field


50 year old Jamshed Sk (Prescription No. 342891) came to us during the Month of May to seek the medical consultation of our optometrist. Jamshed, from Harindanga, had developing issues in his eyes. He couldn’t see very well.
People like Jamshed live with grit and perseverance. They have to work very hard in oftentimes physically straining jobs to sustain their family. Poverty from limited earnings and lack of opportunities make their lives very rough. Problem such as vision issues make it difficult for them to earn money, thus affecting their livelihood which affects theirs as well as their families’ quality of life.
When Jamshed visited our healthcare centre in Kusumgram, our optometrist checked his eye and immediately recommended spectacles. Jamshed didn’t have money, but he needed spectacles to correct his vision.
On 25th May, Jamshed received the spectacles from our centre at a very low cost. He can now see clearly and is very happy. He can go back to working and earning his living without issues. It is difficult to imagine how something so simple could have such impact on people’s lives but for so many of our rural communities low-cost medical care is the only way to get themselves treated.


What is the expected total number of beneficiaries in this program for FY18-19?3571
What is the number of beneficiaries/ benefits provided in this program, Year-To-Date3571
Village/City/State where project is locatedWest Bengal
Total Budget for the project for FY18-19467583
Total Expenses for the project YTD467583

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