GUWAHATI: In a bid to support the marginalised communities of Assam, free eye-care camps were organised in the landscapes of Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong and Manas National Park.
A total of 270 individuals from 10 villages in the areas attended these camps on May 27-28.
Organised by Aaranyak, a biodiversity conservation organisation, the camps were a collaborative effort of the women collectives and student communities from these landscapes.
The women and students played a crucial role in organising and coordinating the logistics of the camps and facilitated consultations with traditional village institutions such as Rong Asar Amei (RAA), ensuring a planned approach.
Partha Nath and Lebia Mohanand from Vision Spring, a social organisation, led the eye check-up process, which included registration and counselling of the attendees.
The 123 camps in Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong landscape were held in Chandrasing Rongpi and Sivoram Terang villages, while the 153 in Manas were conducted in Daodhara and Bhuyanpara.
In Kaziranga, the camps were held in collaboration with Vision Spring, while those in Manas were led with the support of women catering and tailoring students.
In Manas, the Daodhara Dwisa Sher Boro Cuisine group and the students of a tailoring school in Bhuyanpara assisted in the entire process.
Both camps concluded with the distribution of prescribed eyeglasses at a subsidised price of Rs 100 per pair, aligning with Vision Spring’s mission of providing affordable, high-quality vision-correction solutions to the communities.
Along with the support of IUCN and KfW, Aaranyak have been supporting the indigenous communities, ensuring they get access to basic healthcare services.
These camps not only provided essential eye-care services but also highlighted the importance of collaboration between various organisations and community groups.
