Keeping their eyes on the road
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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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.
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.
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.
“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...
