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Keeping their eyes on the road

Sandeep Kumar, a truck driver from India, stands in front of his truck.

In September 2017, one of the country’s biggest Eye Health Programmes for the truck drivers’ community was launched. The programme seeks to reach out to 500,000 truck drivers and helpers of the laborious 9 million truck drivers and transporters community present in India. This 9 million-truck driver community transports 65% of national cargo by road.

Sightsavers realises the importance of eye health for the overworked truckers’ community in ensuring road safety. Since drivers can’t get to eye care services, Sightsavers in India have created a system which takes the services directly to them. RAAHI is one of the biggest eye health programmes in the country for the overworked truck drivers’ community.

The programme’s ingenious: there are over 30 sites around India’s ‘golden quadrilateral’, which covers the main long distance haulage routes across the whole country. Some are permanent vision centres, others pop-up outreach camps, but all are in locations where drivers stop as part of their usual route to rest or unload cargo.

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Sandeep wears special glasses while an eye health worker tests his eyes.
Sandeep inside his truck.
Truckers queue up to be registered by eye health workers at the screening camp.
Indian truck drivers sit on the ground and relax in front of their trucks.
Mohammad Islam Ansari sitting in his orange truck looking out of the door.

Find out more about our work

What we do

More on the programme

sightsavers_news
News / Eye health /

Effectiveness of Ready2Clip Spectacles among Truck Drivers; Findings from National Truckers Eye Health Programme

Effectiveness of Ready2Clip Spectacles among Truck Drivers; Findings from National Truckers Eye Health Programme

September 2022
sightsavers_news
News / Eye health /

Eyes on the Highway: RAAHI National Truckers’ Eye Health Programme-Learnings and Reflections

Approximately 1.3 million people die in road accidents globally and one out of ten people killed in road accidents is from India.

September 2022
sightsavers_news
News / Eye health /

Sightsavers India celebrated five years of RAAHI- National Truckers Eye Health Programme

The event was attended by internationally acclaimed actor and director, Mr Kabir Bedi who is also the Honorary Brand Ambassador for Sightsavers India, and Shri Amit Kumar Ghosh, Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

September 2022
Sightsavers blog
Blogs / Eye health /

RAAHI– Serving those that serve us

India is home to over 9 million truck drivers. Truck drivers play a significant role in transporting India’s freight; however their unorganised nature of work prohibits them to take their health issues seriously.

Shailendra Kumar, Deepshikha Sharma & Jatin Tiwari, July 2021
sightsavers_news
News / Events /

Photography Contest - “Safe eyes for Safer roads”

Photography Contest – “Safe eyes for Safer roads”

February 2021
sightsavers_news
News / Eye health /

Sightsavers India partner's with JSPL to provide Primary Eye Health Services for Truck Drivers

Sightsavers India partner’s with JSPL to provide Primary Eye Health Services for Truck Drivers

February 2021
sightsavers_news
News / Eye health /

Right to sight

Extending eye services to the least served areas, Sightsavers India is enabling people to live lives of independence and dignity

May 2020
Sightsavers blog
Blogs / Eye health /

Improving eye health and saving lives in India

There are at least nine million truck drivers in India… or there could be 12 million… no-one quite knows.

Sir Clive Jones, March 2020
Six people stand next to a banner that welcome Sightsavers' Honorary Brand Ambassador.
sightsavers_news
News / Eye health /

Sightsavers Honorary Brand Ambassador Kabir Bedi encourages truck drivers to get their eyes tested

Kabir Bedi, the Brand Ambassador of Sightsavers India, visited the eye screening camp in Bhiwandi on the successful completion of its one year.

December 2018
sightsavers_news
News / Eye health /

Sightsavers launches its fourth Static Vision Centre under RAAHI in Ballabhgarh, Haryana

Sightsavers opened a new Vision Centre under the RAAHI- National Truckers’ Eye Health Programme in Transport Nagar Ballabhgarh, Haryana. RAAHI is designed to align with the Sightsavers global Uncorrected Refractive Error Strategy where Road safety is a core component. The truckers were given free eye checkups and corrective measure to combat with their eye health issues.

September 2018
Sightsavers Reports
Reports / Eye health /

Eyes OK please

This report is an attempt to document, for the first time in India, the need for eye health care interventions as well as truckers’ own views on the vital issue of vision.

sightsavers_news
News / Eye health /

“Eyes OK Please”- A report on National Truckers Programme unveiled by Sightsavers

One of the Country’s biggest Eye Health Programme for the truck drivers community...

September 2017

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