Shanti Devi's story

Where there is hope, there is way

Shanti Devi, 65 years old widow, lives alone in the city of Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. She works in a private school as a cleaning lady to earn her daily bread. She started facing trouble in dusting and mopping classrooms, managing files, dropping children off the bus and even doing house chores. Eventually, the school administration sent a notice for expelling her because of inefficient work.

As she could barely make ends meet, eye treatment cost was not manageable owing to the high fees in private eye clinics in her locality. One day, her son-in-law who is a delivery boy, saw Sightsavers and Standard Chartered Bank supported  vision centre (VC) in Anand Bagh. He came to the VC and enquired about service and fees. After being assured of good quality services at a low cost, he brought his mother-in-law to the VC. Shanti Devi underwent a complete examination of her eyes by the optometrist. Cataract was the significant cause of her decreased vision, hence she was referred for surgery at a subsidized cost in Kannika Hospital. At first, Shanti Devi felt scared and hesitant for surgery, but the staff took her in confidence and assured her of getting high-quality service. Post-Surgery her vision improved. Although patients are always happy with increased vision and function after cataract surgery, in this case, it was quite emotional as she won her independence and dignity back. Shanti Devi, 65 years widow, lives alone in the city of Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. She works in a private school as a cleaning lady to earn her daily bread. She started facing trouble in dusting and mopping classrooms, managing files, dropping children off the bus and even doing house chores. Eventually, the school administration sent a notice for expelling her because of inefficient work.

Now Shanti Devi can perform all her daily tasks efficiently and has re-joined school. She was pleased and thankful for the low-cost and high-quality service provided at the vision centre. She joyfully stated that she would spread awareness regarding the vision centre services in her locality so that needy people can get their treatment on time.