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Is Community Development necessary for Eye Care? Dr Gopa Kothari Director Community Programs Operation Eyesight Universal. 22 nd Nov 2008, Delhi, India. National Vitamin A prophylaxis program. Launched in 1970…. National Blindness control Program 1976.
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Is Community Development necessary for Eye Care?Dr Gopa KothariDirector Community ProgramsOperation Eyesight Universal 22nd Nov 2008, Delhi, India
National Vitamin A prophylaxis program Launched in 1970…
*India shoulders the world’s largest burden of blindness.... • 15 million people are blind, • 52 million are visually impaired • 320,000 children under the age of 16, constituting one fifth of the world’s blind children *Orbis International 2007
Community “Com – together , munis – to have charge of” It is defined *as a group of interacting people living in a common location, organized around common values and social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a Household and are exposed to similar risks. * Standing Conference for Community Development, 2004
Also, “Community* is a group of people who occupy a well defined territorial area, have common interests and needs and have common pattern of socio economic relationship, derives a common bond of solidarity from the conditions of its abode, has a constellation of social institutions and is subject to some degree of group control” *Young P.V 1950.
Community is in the grip of the “Vicious cycle” Poor Health and Eye Health
Tool to bring about an Awareness…. …Community development Community Development seeks to enable individuals and communities to grow and change according to their own needs and priorities and at their own pace.
Community Development…. ………brings about the ability of people to act together to influence the social, economic, political and environmental issues which affect them.
Crux of Community Development Communities cannot be helped unless they themselves agree to this process”.
To make Eye Health a demand by the Community.. Integrate Implement
Primary eye care becomes an integral component of Primary Healthcare
Supportive Services Improve: Leading to Community development
Path is Challenging…………… If Goals and Objectives are clear.. We will succeed in controlling avoidable blindness!
Success achieved through Community Development …can be summarized as follows’ Go in search of your people Understand their needs, Learn from them Serve them Begin with what they know Build on what they have Control Avoidable Blindness through Community Development which makes the community understand the need for Quality Eye Care…and echoes out loud,
“Our Priority is Quality Eye Care ” Thank you!
Prepare an action plan (time bound) • Activities to be completed in : • 1 week: • 1 month: • 6 months: • 1 year:
Review • How will you monitor your progress/delay? • Indicators developed? • Plan B