Shared Vision – Formerly a Dutch Foundation

Mission SharedVision

Shared Vision has transferred all its activities to its long-term partner, the Blind People’s Association (India), based in Ahmedabad, India. The mission of Shared Vision was to provide preventive health care services and education to the poorest of the poor in the remote villages of Western Rajasthan in India. Western Rajasthan is one of the poorer areas of India and the people living in the rural countryside have many diseases and conditions that are largely preventable or treatable.

Eye camp clinics

To respond to the urgent need of eye care, the Shared Vision Foundation held “Screen & Treat” Eye Camps for people with impaired vision– cataracts as well as other eye problems. The camps are normally held at a well-known location to villagers such as the village school and between 500 and 1,000 men, women and children present themselves for screening. Two ophthalmic assistants do the initial eye examination. For people with impaired vision, they correct refractory errors and give them new eyeglasses; those with cataracts and other eye problems are taken for treatment to the Tarabai Desai Eye Hospital in Jodhpur. The cost of eyeglasses, medical and surgical treatment, the hospital stays and the transportation to and from the hospital to the village is all paid by Shared Vision from donated funds. To the patient all of this service is free-of-charge.

The orphanage Dayanand Balsadan in Ajmer was established in 1895 by the leaders of a social welfare movement called the Arya Samaj. Since its inception, 17,000 girls and boys have lived and been educated in this institution. It is a pioneering institution in the field of child welfare in Rajasthan. Some of the residents of this place have become members of the Indian Parliament (MP), members of the state legislative assembly (MLA), engineers, teachers, businessmen and doctors.