Venue: Aamgaon Union Council office, Haripur, Thakurgaon
Date: 21.11.2024

So far People reached through the awareness campaign: 21,600
Patients screened and consulted: 2021
Spectacles distributed: 541 pairs
Cataract operation: 209
All services are delivered free of cost to the people I need.

Partners:
Rotary Clubs of Balwyn and Rowville-Lysterfield
SHEBA (Social Help Endeavour for Bangladesh)
Alternative Approach
Majeda Eye Hospital

This is in addition to our ongoing sewing training project for employment creation in Northern Bangladesh.

এই সংগ্রামী মানুষগুলোর পাশে দাঁড়ানোর প্রচেষ্টা……

আমাদের সাহায্যসংস্থা SHEBA এবং বাংলাদেশে আমাদের সহযোগী স্বেচ্ছাসেবী সংগঠন অল্টারনেটিভ অ্যাপ্রোচ সমন্বিতভাবে দুঃস্থ ও কর্মহীন মানুষের কর্ম সংস্থানের প্রয়াসে কর্মসংস্থান সহায়ক কর্মসূচি (Employment Assistance Programme) পরিচালনা করে আসছে। এই কর্মসূচির অংশ হিসেবে ১৩ই জুলাই Persons With Cerebral Palsy Foundation (PCPF) শারীরিক প্রতিবন্ধী কর্মহীন নারীদের মধ্যে সেলাই মেশিন বিতরণ করা হয়। উভয় সংগঠনের পক্ষে অল্টারনেটিভ অ্যাপ্রোচের একটি প্রতিনিধদল PCPF এর সদস্যদের মধ্যে এই মেশিন বিতরণ করেন এবং ভবিষ্যতে তাদের বিভিন্ন প্রয়াসে সহযোগিতার ক্ষেত্র নিয়ে আলোচনা করেন।

PCPF সেরিব্রাল পালসিতে আক্রান্ত শারীরিক প্রতিবন্ধীদের একটি সংগঠন। তারা নিজেরাই এই সংগঠনটি পরিচালনা করেন। পরোমুখাপেক্ষী না হয়ে তারা তাদের দক্ষতা অনুযায়ী কাজ করে উপার্জনের চেষ্টা করছে্ন। আমরা এই সংগ্রামী মানুষগুলোর অপরাজেয় সংকল্পকে অভিবাদন জানাই। তারা নিজেরা রান্না করে ক্যাটারিং করে কিছু আয়ের চেষ্টা করছেন। কিন্তু নিজেদের কোন আউটলেট না থাকায় রান্না করা খাওয়া বিপণনে বেশ সমস্যার মোকাবেলা করছে। সংগঠনটি বাড্ডা, হাতির ঝিল, গুলশান, মহাখালী, বনানী এসব এলাকায় কম ভাড়ায় একটি ফুড আউটলেট খুঁজছে যেখান থেকে তারা অর্ডার সরবরাহ করতে পারবে্ন। কেউ এবারে সহোগিতা করতে চাইলে আমি তাদের সাথে যগযোগ করিয়ে দেবো।

এই সংগ্রামী মানুষগুলোর উদ্দমে যে যার মতো সহযোগিতা আমরা করতেই পারি।

Blindness Prevention and Vision Care Programme in Northern Bangladesh (Phase 1). We have almost reached halfway through our project!
The 12th of the planned 25 camps took place in the Monmothpur Union Porishod office at Chokla Bazaar, Prbotipur, Dinajpur on Saturday, the 26th of June, 2024.

In this camp:
✅ Total patients screened for vision impairing eye conditions: 87
✅ Patients receive corrective lenses: 20
✅ Patients underwent Cataract surgery: 10

We plan to extend the project beyond the current phase based on our success. We thank everyone involved for their hard work, patronage, and support.

⇒ Project planning and Overall supervision: SHEBA
⇒ Implementation: Alternative Approach
⇒ Funding: Rotary Clubs of Balwyn, Rowville-Lysterfield and SHEBA
⇒ Service delivery partner: Majeda Eye Hospital

11th Eye Camp under our Blindness Prevention and Vision Care Program in North Bengal was held on 23rd May 2024 at Deur Government Primary School premises of Bochaganj Upazila, Dinajpur. 121 patients of the eye camp were given diagnosis, prescription and consultation services. 20 patients were selected for glasses distribution and 10 patients for cataract surgery.
Patients underwent cataract surgery on the same day and post-operative briefing for the operated patients on 24th May. All medical services are provided free under this program. Before the eye camp, awareness programs are conducted in the area through community meetings, miking and distribution of leaflets. Gratitude to the well-wishers for being our fellow travelers in the effort to prevent blindness in North Bengal.

With the holding of our 10th Eye camp at Haripur Union Parishad Office in Haripur Upazilla of Thakurgaon district on 20/04/2024, SHEBA and its Partner in Bangladesh Alternative Approach have reached a milestone.

An awareness campaign was conducted before the camp that included miking, leaflet distribution, banner installation and community meeting to raise awareness of vision impairing eye conditions and about the upcoming Eye camp.

Like in our previous camps, this camp's activities included screening patients, prescription, referral, advice, distribution of corrective lenses and selecting patients for cataract surgery – all free of cost.

The number of patients consulted in this camp: 124
Corrective lenses distributed: 40 pairs
The number of patients selected for cataract surgery: 20

The cataract surgeries were performed at Majeada Eye Hospital, Birol, Dinajpur on 21/04/2024, followed by postoperative briefing and counseling.

We sincerely thank our principal funders The Rotary Clubs of Balwyn and Rowville – Lysterfield (Melbourne) and all our patrons as well as Dr Ehsan Echo and his team in Majeda Eye Hospital for their excellent service delivery in achieving our milestone.

April 18 – 21, 2024
Haripur, Thakurgaon
Birol, Dinajpur

Awareness campaign:
Mukundupur Union, Kaharol, Dinajpur
30th – 31st March 2024
The campaign included community meetings, miking, leaflet distribution and installing banners to raise awareness against vision impairing eye conditions and their remedies. The campaign reached 1200 people

Screening Eye Camp:
Mukundupur Union Parishad Office, Kaharol, Dinajpur
1st April, 2024
Patients screened: 120
For Errors of Refraction, Glaucoma, Diabetic Retinopathy and Cataract
Additional screening for Hypertension and Diabetes
Spectacles distributed: 42
Selected patients for Cataract Surgery: 18

Cataract Surgery and Post-operative Briefing:
Majeda Eye Hospital, Birol, Dinajpur
2nd and 3rd April, 2024
All 18 patients were briefed about post-operative care and the follow-up procedure

Dr Abul Ehsan Echo and his Majeda Eye Hospital Team are doing an excellent job. ‘Sheba’ and ‘Alternative Approach’ delivering this valuable service to the marginalised people in Northern Bangladesh with the generous contribution from Rotary Club of Balwyn and Rowville-Lysterfield (Melbourne).

Our eighth eye camp was held on March 27, 2024 at Pirganj Pilot High School in Pirganj Upazila of Thakurgaon District. Before that, an awareness program on prevention of blindness and vision services was celebrated on 25th March in the upazila town through community meeting, miking and distribution of leaflets. In the eye camp, 112 patients were examined for blindness and visual impairment, provided with necessary prescriptions and counselling.

Among the eye camp attendees 39 patients were given free spectacles and 11 patients were nominated for free cataract surgery. On March 28, our service partner, Majeda Eye Hospital of Birol Upazila, Dinajpur District, underwent cataract surgery on those patients. They are counseled about post-operative care and follow-up before being discharged from the hospital.

Your support in the fight against blindness is our path.

Pirganj, Thakurgaon
Birol, Dinajpur
March 25, 27, 28; 2024

The 6th Eye Camp under our 'Blindness Prevention and Vision Care Programme in Northern Bangladesh' took place in the Community Resource Centre, Baluadanga, Dinajpur Sadar, Dinajpur on 29.02.2024.
The camp activities included screening patients for vision-impairing eye conditions, giving prescriptions and advice, data collection, distribution of spectacles, and selecting deserving patients for free Cataract operation.
A total of 143 patients were screened. 42 pairs of corrective lenses were distributed and 12 patients were selected for cataract surgery. The Cataract surgeries took place following the camp. The patients were given a post-operative briefing by the consultant Ophthalmologist and by the nurses.
We are well ahead of our target that we set to cover through 25 eye camps.

Dinajpur was the coldest place (8.6c) in Bangladesh on (14/01/2024). Yet, we had the pre-scheduled 4th Eye camp as a part of our continued Blindness Prevention and Vision Care Programme in Northern Bangladesh.
The free eye camp was conducted at the Vatgaon HIgh School, Sundorpur Union in Kaharol Upazilla in Dinajpur district serving a disadvantaged remote community.
Our Medical team led By Dr. Ehsan Echo and the local community braved the North Bengal coldwave to attend the eye camp.
A total of 116 poor and low-income community members were screened for vision-impairing eye conditions, and treatment was provided to those who needed it. Corrective lenses were provided to those who needed them. Selected patients with cataracts were taken to Majeda Eye Hospital and Cataract operations were performed. They were then given a briefing about post-operative care and follow-up before being discharged.
We plan to have 25 such eye camps in Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, and Pabna within the next 8 - 12 months.
We thank all of our patrons. Your continued support makes it possible.

The Winner of 2021 Ekhusey Padak and renowned health care personality Prof Quazi Qamruzzaman (Chairman, Dhaka Community Hospital Trust) and a team from DCH visited the Sheba Sastho Kendro Chatmohar and met the employees and management staffs on 03/12/2023 to explore possibilities of collaboration between Sheba Sastho Kendro and Pabna Community Hospital (which operates under the auspices of DCH Trust).