How The Green Children are helping Grameen with Healthcare.

Grameen Healthcare.

In order to bring vulnerable people above the poverty line it is very important to address their health issues. Experience has shown us that a significant number of people remain under the poverty line, despite their continuous efforts. After having succeeded to cross the poverty line, in many cases, a health problem for the incumbent or a family member pushes them back to poverty. Grameen Bank realized that without improvements in the health care facilities serving the rural poor, a difficulty would remain in ensuring people kept permanently above the poverty line.

In order to get a quick result from microcredit, Grameen Kalyan was established to provide quality primary health care services to the rural poor. One of the most important objectives was to make the program self–sustainable and ensure that the health care services were brought to the un–reached within affordable cost.

The Grameen/Green Children eye hospital campaign.

In December 2005, Prof. Muhammad Yunus went to visit the Aravind Eye Hospital in Madurai, India. He was so impressed by the Aravind model and their contribution in eradicating blindness. On his visit to Aravind, Prof. Yunus became fully convinced that it was possible to provide affordable eye care services to the most vulnerable segment of the population in Bangladesh.

In February 2006, The Green Children traveled to Bangladesh to learn more about the amazing work of Professor Yunus and the Grameen Bank. It was during this time that Professor Yunus spoke to The Green Children about the incredible problem of cataracts in Bangladesh.

There are currently 1.6 million people who have been forced into premature blindness. Each year, an additional 200,000 people join this growing number. The Green Children Foundation has committed to support Professor Yunus in his initiative to tackle the huge problem of Cataracts for the poor of Bangladesh.

Cataracts can be cured with a simple operation which costs as little as $25. This operation changes the direction of someone’s life, allowing them to continue using microcredit, support their families and keep their children in education.

The hospitals plan to fulfill the following objectives.

To promote and assist in prevention of blindness through community awareness and eye health education.
To carry out eye screening and treatment of children suffering from refractive error, squint and Vitamin A deficiency.
To provide curative services by conducting eye screening through establishing vision centers, organizing camps within the community.
To promote the use of low–vision aids among the partially blind.
To focus on quality eye care service and efficient service delivery.
To provide surgery and other eye cares services within an affordable price in general and at a subsidized cost and to the poorest in the society.
To launch a financially sustainable eye care program.

Each hospital will serve 50,000 people a year, 10,000 of which will receive the vital cataracts operation and escape from a life of blindness.