Bang Bang Bangkok 18th - 20th Feb

By Sabitra Kundu

Imagine the situation – early morning you walk into the designated hotel expecting all your colleagues and other Sightsavers partners to have checked into (a day earlier) and you to be accommodated with them and then you are told (in that sing-a-song Thai accent) that no one from Sightsavers India has joined in. Well that was the situation I faced when I walked into the 11th floor reception of Hotel Prince Palace with Mr. Ranganathen (from partner CTRD, Tamil Nadu). After lots of difficulties (as they did not understand my Indian English and I could not their Thai- English) we managed to track the rest of the Sightsavers team and join up with them.

The 1st Asia Pacific CBR Congress at Bangkok was been organised by WHO, UNESCAPS, Foundation of Asia – Pacific Development Centre on Disability and Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (Thailand). With over 650 participants from the entire Asia Pacific region it was indeed a big conglomeration of CBR people – planners, policy makers, implementers, beneficiaries, organisational representatives, etc.

The colourful programme was initiated by traditional Thai dance and was followed by the opening ceremony. There was representation from senior level people from the Thailand government, United Nations, WHO, ILO etc. Post all this the proceedings of the Congress was initiated.

During the 3 days a range of topics were covered through discussions, presentations, debates (as well as side meetings over tea and lunch). Some of the topics that were covered included UNCRPD, CBR Matrix, CBR and women with disabilities, BMF, CBR and alliances, Research and evidence based practice in CBR, CBR and accessibility, CBR networks, CBR and self help groups, etc.

While some of the presentations were really useful, some were not at all informative and some did not even speak on the topic assigned (and rather spoke on their organisation and what they were involved in). While at times it was hard to choose which of the concurrent sessions to attend, at times the choice was evident (but not the learning’s that we all garnered!).

The Congress provided an excellent platform to network with representatives from across the region and interact with many others about whom we had only heard. We also had a chance to interact with our Sightsavers colleagues and partners from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in addition to interacting with Diane (from HH).

During one of the side meetings the representatives from India met and during that meeting Mr. C Mahesh was chosen to temporarily represent India at the Asia Pacific Zone.

In Bangkok the city timings were not at all conducive for us all to undertake any sightseeing in the evening. The city started as early as 8 AM and all shops and establishments closed by 430 PM – well before the scheduled end time for the Congress. However, we the enterprising Indians had found the directions to some authentic Indian restaurants and not only did we satiate ourselves with dinner at the end of the day (which included Thai lunch that was not liked by all) but we also passed on the information to other Indians (including members from LCI and SLF) and also on one occasion took along our Pakistani colleague.

We did manage to do a little of sightseeing on Saturday when we went around the Grand Palace and the Temple of Emerald Buddha in the heart of city. Our attempt to go to the famous weekend market at Jatuchak was not possible owing to the horrible traffic scenario in Bangkok (I for once did not feel out of Mumbai thanks to the traffic snarls!!).

Bangladesh Bahut Bhaalo : 14th - 17th Feb 2009

By Sabitra Kundu


A low vision exposure trip was undertaken to Bangladesh. During this visit our team (Ms. Prema Chande from Lotus College of Optometry, Dr. Subhra Sil from Vivekananda Mission Ashram and myself) we toured three partners in Bangladesh.

After a harrowing experience at Dhaka airport (where our luggage’s along with that of all the other passengers) were not only delayed by over an hour but went through an intensive search we reached the hotel. The hotel was (literally) a stone’s throw from the Bangladesh Country Office and provided us with nice facilities (including free internet and local telephone calls). As it was a Saturday (a holiday) and as our plans had been changed at the last minute to arrive on the morning of 14th Feb we had the day free to ourselves as no visits were scheduled. However Ms. Rifat (Programme Manager, BCO) was kind enough to come in the afternoon and take us out for some time around the city. We spent some time shopping and looking at the city. Dhaka is almost similar to any other city in West Bengal except for the fact that the cars and bikes are all either Japanese or Chinese or Korean models, which we do not at all get to see in India.


On the 2nd day we spent the first part of the day at Islamia Eye Hospital and at their Low Vision Clinic. It was an enriching experience to see the Low vision and Paediatric Clinic (both of them situated adjacent to one another). The partner has been successful in forging good linkages with CBOs and grassroot NGOs in Dhaka and coupled with their reputation in the field of quality eye care the patient inflow was quite high. The hospital was one of the pioneers to start LV work in the country and they are providing with good services both in terms of assessment, provision of aids and appliances as well as rehabilitation and counseling for the patients and their parents.

During the same day we also visited Centre for Disability in Development -- a grass root capacity building NGO located in Savar (around 30 mins drive from Dhaka). En-route to Savar we crossed the picturesque Buri- Ganga (a tributary of river Ganga). CDD is engaged in training of NGO staff from across the country in doing rehabilitation work with focus on low vision clients (and provision of aids and appliances).

After both the visits we rushed back to Dhaka to catch the bus to Chittagong. Travel by the beautiful Volvo coaches was pretty comfortable and I did sleep for most of the 6 hours journey. We reached Chittagong pretty late at night (around 11.30) and by the time we crashed into beds in the beautiful guest rooms at partner location it was nearly 12.30 am.



Chittagong Eye Infirmary & Training Centre is located in the heart of Chittagong and is very aesthetically constructed. The unique paintings and mural in and around the hospital really liven up the place and provides a different ambience to the environment. This is one of Bangladesh’s tertiary eye care center and over the last 4 decades they have set up more than 7 other branches across the country. Low Vision work is highly appreciable here and this centre has also been providing training to doctors as well as MLOPs in the field of Low Vision for the last few years. The hospital also has a full fledged optical dispensing unit which is wonderfully complemented by a low vision dispensing unit (producing both optical and non-optical devices).

After a long journey (by an even better Volvo bus) we reached back to Dhaka on the night of 16th Feb. We spent the next day at BCO interacting with the staff and learning about their projects and also probing them with lots of questions.

At the end of the meeting (which was scheduled for 1 hour but went for more than 2.5 hours) we managed to rush back to the hotel, grab a bite and be in time for the flight back to Calcutta. Thankfully the journey back was totally uneventful and we flew out of Dhaka (at 4.15 pm BST) to reach Calcutta (4.15 pm IST).

I thought I had satisfactorily met the agenda of my visit, until Kalpana and Shweta discovered how hard I found to spend a Takka on shopping...means no shopping...Dont worry there is always a next time !!!

WORKSHOP ON RESOURCE MOBILISATION FOR NGOS: GLOBAL AND LOCAL PERSPECTIVES

6th February 2009

A one day work shop on the above topic was held at Sankar Foundation, with Ms Helen Slater, Marketing Innovations Executive at SSI, UK, as the guest speaker. Mrs Manimala, Executive Trustee and CEO of Sankar Foundation spoke on the success story of Resource Mobilisation at Sankar Foundation. Apart from Ms Slater, two other speakers were invited – Mr Varada Reddy, President of Visakha Welfare Federation, a well known NGO and Mr M S Kumar, AGM, Corporate Social Responsibilty, Vizag Steel. Both the organizations have partnered with Sankar Foundation in taking eye to the urban slums and rural areas respectively.

It emerged from these various talks that resource may be interpreted as any kind of support – manpower, coordination, advocacy, lending brand name etc and not only as some kind of monetary support.
A number of NGOs participated in the work shop and they included JKS, TARA, Rotarynetra, Ashraya Trust, FXB Suraksha, ORCC, DMWS, Sadhana.


Helen's Visit to Vision Aid

Cutting Edge 2008: Oculoplasty and Ocular Oncology Update

About the program:

The programme was aimed to translate current concepts in oculoplasty from print into daily practice, and to familiarize delegates with the essentials in ocular oncology. There were guest faculty invited which are some of the foremost names in Indian oculoplasty and ophthalmic education. With support from Sightsavers International, Cutting Edge 2008 was organized at L V Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad on 30th Nov, 2008.


Agenda in a Nutshell:

• Didactic lectures: Focus on new or complex concepts.
• Video-based presentations: Deal with the commonest oculoplasty surgeries with step-by-step commentary by the surgeon. These aim to assist the beginner in oculoplasty.
• Case-based discussions: Explore steps in diagnosis, illustrate principles of management.

The Oculoplasty and Ocular Oncology Update, Cutting Edge 2008 was held on 30th November, 2008 at the auditorium of L V Prasad Eye Institute, GMR Varalakshmi Campus, Visakhapatnam. The guest faculty included Dr Ashok Grover from New Delhi, Dr E Ravindra Mohan from Chennai and Dr CP Venkatesh from Bangalore. The LVPEI faculty included Dr Santosh Honavar, Dr Milind Naik, Dr Ramesh Murthy, Dr Suryasnata Rath, Dr Roshmi Gupta, Dr Sima Das and Mr Kuldeep Raizada.
Delegates attended:
At GMRV campus – 90 and from Hyderabad by videoconferencing- fellows and doctors from LVPEI secondary centers (on screen) – 6

There was a good attendance from both ophthalmologists in training, and from practitioners. The eclectic mix of attendees shows in the same frame the three top practitioners from Vizianagaram district, the director of the Operation Eyesight Universal at Garividi, postgraduates from the regional eye hospital Visakhapatnam, the in-charge of Residency Training at Kakinada Medical College Department of Ophthalmology, and the ophthalmologists from a large corporate hospital and a charitable organization in Visakhapatnam.

The following is the summary of specific suggestions –

• Longer duration of CMES to allow more detailed discussions
• Workshops specifically for postgraduates
• Compilation of CDs with the CME lectures and content
• From 2 delegates- details on orbital surgery (which we had felt was better for a longer CME)
• We expect a higher degree of awareness, more appropriate first recognition and management of ocular oncology cases and earlier referrals where indicated, from the participants in the CME.

Sankalp 2009 Awards (Social Enterprise & Investment Forum) Invites Nominations

Dear All,

I am sharing with you an opportunity to showcase your work at national platform.
Intellecap (www.intellecap.net) this year, is organizing the largest South Asia Enterprise and Investment Forum –called The Sankalp 2009 Awards (www.sankalpforum.com). Organized currently in partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation, NABARD & the Rural Innovations Network (RIN), Sankalp has been designed with the conviction that that capital should be invested to create multiple bottom-line returns and not exclusively financial or social returns.

Sankalp, launched for the first time, will be an ongoing annual endeavour to recognize, award & connect the most investible social MSMEs (micro, small & medium enterprises). Sankalp 2009 will accept entries in the following five sectors:

a. Agriculture & Rural Innovations
b. Education for All
c. Environment & Clean Energy
d. Healthcare Inclusion
e. Other scalable Models

Nominations in each of the above mentioned sectors will be invited in the following categories:
a. Emerging Enterprises
b. High-Growth Enterprises
c. High Impact Enterprises

Further details about Sankalp 2009 & the Prizes are available online at www.sankalpforum.com.

Last date for enterprise nominations: 15th February, 2009


Best Wishes,
Shweta

Send in your feedback or articles at schooramani@sightsavers.org / ssiao.blog@gmail.com

Launch of Lifeline Express Mobile Clinic with Impact India Foundation

By Rajesh Kapse

The Lifeline Express Mobile Clinic, launched on Oct 28th, 2009, is a joint project of Impact India Foundation, Sightsavers International and Tulsi Eye Hospital for tribal people of Nasik district. It is a concept of mobile healthcare, the clinic is designed as a fully autonomous diagnostic mobile clinic, equipped with the latest equipment for identifying hearing and vision impairments.

This innovative project was inaugurated by the hands of Ms. Zelma Lazarus (CEO Impact India Foundation), Mr. Shrinivas Sawant(Area Director, South India Area Office, Sightsavers International), Mr. Pandya (President PBMA, H.V. Desai Eye Hospital) and Major Zarekar (CEO, Tusli eye hospital).

Meet Helen Slater, Direct Marketing Manager

Hi all,

Wondering why so many posts in one day...

Well so many events are going on around not to mention the approaching deadline of KPI and APRs...and travelling....

Or may be this is the bday chocolate effect...yes..Shrinivas's birthday was there yesterday...Though we have forecasted a birthday treat...traveling of SIAO team members can cause variance as always (hope Bala is not listening).

Sabitra would be flying to Bangkok and Bangladesh for a week or so. Dont forget to forward your shopping list to him. While Rajesh would be going to the mecca of eye care management courses, LAICO - Madurai. Ketan is off to Karnataka with Sabitra for doing an end term evaluation.

This morning we met with Helen, Helen Slater,Direct Marketing Manager at Sightsavers Global office. Our Andhra partners will get to meet her next week followed by Sankara Eye Hospital, Chennai. To get the real feel of indian culture Helen would be staying at one of our partners place. Now that's we call the spirit. Her area of interest is to learn about Diabetic Retinopathy and community based resource mobilization models at the field.

Helen works with the FCD and her work revolve around raising funds from individual donors. If you have browsed enough our website, you must be knowing GIFT OF SIGHT.

What is Gift of Sight?

The Sightsavers' gift list gives you a great opportunity to buy your friends and loved ones a fantastic present which could have a huge impact on someone's life in the developing world. Please check on http://www.giftofsight.co.uk/default.aspx



That's all for now...I am waiting to catch hold of Rajesh/Ranjish about the inaugural event of Mobile Eye Care Clinic at Nashik...but to no avail...nevertheless...if I succeed you will see it next.

Happy APR + KPI making...

Regards,
Moderator.

Developing North Maharashtra CES Network

First meeting of North West Maharashtra partners was organized at Tulsi Eye Hospital, Nasik on 28th Jan 2009. The main objective of the meeting was to develop a strong network of eye care partners, NGOs and government for to provide services to the poor and needy people in North West Maharashtra more effectively. This can be achieved only if all will come together and form a strong network.

Representatives from H.V. Desai Eye Hospital (Pune-West Maharashtra), Rotary Eye Hospital, Malegaon (North Mah), Rotary Eye Hospital, Dondaicha (North Mah), Shree Bhairav Eye Hospital, Bhivandi and Khan Bahadur Haji Bachoo Ali eye hospital, Mumbai participated in the meeting. All the representatives shared their work with each other and agreed to support each other in strengthening each others capacities to serve the community the best in the world.

All the representatives mentioned that “Yes We Can Provide the Best Eye Care Services in the World for the people of North West Maharashtra.” A team of five Ophthalmologists have been formed to setup operation theatre protocol for all north west Maharashtra partner hospitals. Next meeting is planned in the month of March 2009. From Sightsavers myself, Shrinivas and Ketan had attended this meeting.


Regards,
Rajesh Kapse
Programme Officer
rkapse@sightsavers.org

XRCVC Challenger Trophy

Friday, 30th January 2009, saw the finals between SIES & Xaviers which started at 15:30 PM. Teams with a mix of blind, low vision and sighted players from SIES, RUIA and Xaviers college participated for the XRCVC (Xaviers Resouce Centre for Visually Challenged) Challenger Trophy. Xaviers after winning the toss, elected to bat and set a target of 80 runs for SIES to win in 10 overs. Xaviers succesfully defended and won the challenger trophy.

The event was sponsored by State Bank of India and Radio One. The chief guest for the event was Harsha Bhogle, a well know international commentrator. He was quite sporty and did commentry for a few overs and also tried his hand at playing cricket with his eyes closed during innings break (he was nowhere close to the ball). He was impressed with the way both teams played and committmment shown by the players as well as the support received from the college and fellow students. He even went on to say that he would want to be present next year as well for the event.

Photo (R to L): Myself, Harsha Bhogle and Dr Sam Taraporewala

It was an event well coordinated and excecuted. All appreciation to Sam and his team and of course to the bunch of dedicated volounteers without whom the event would have been a difficult proposition..


Regards,
Ranjish Kattady
Regional Information & Liaison Officer
Sightsavers International (India Region)
Phone : +91 22 28821919/ 0808 Extn:114