Sankara Eye Foundation USA

Little Vaishali lives in the small town of Pen, which is surrounded by picturesque hills and forests on all sides. She studies in Grade 6, in an NGO run ashram, away from her parents who are tribals and brick kiln workers in one of these hills. Vaishali’s squint eye is being treated by Sankara Eye Hospital, Panvel, and she came for her check up with her teacher. When asked why her parents were not with her, she replied that in the hilly area where her parents live, there is no mobile network. Hence, she could not inform them. Vaishali’s treatment started three months ago, and today her vision and squint is much better. She has another few months to go for completion of the treatment. Till then, she is happy to concentrate on her books and studies. On meeting Vaishali, one can understand the real impact of Sankara’s eye care program – being able to treat little children even in places where your mobile network does not follow you! Visit www.giftofvision.org for more information #MarchtoaMillion Sanjay Mudnaney Reshma Gadkari-Sharma Murali Krishnamurthy Rad Sundar K (Sri) Sridharan Nandita Bose Sonal Solanki Sankara Eye Hospitals India #MarchToAMillion #Vision2030 #sankaraeyefoundation #sankaraeyehospital #ngo #nonprofit #charity #eyes #eyesight #storiesofsankara

Did you watch the Netflix movie Srikanth? I am even more inspired after watching this movie and my firm faith in "You can do anything and everything. Nothing is impossible in life" is reinforced. This movie is based on the life of Srikanth Bolla and we are very happy and privileged to have him as a special guest at the Sankara Eye Foundation, USA Galas - Dallas - Sept 7, 2024 New Jersey - Sept 14, 2024 Santa Clara (Bay Area, CA) - Sept 28, 2024 We also have a double bonus at the Dallas and New Jersey Galas - Our dear Sunil Gavaskar will be our Chief Guest. Without saying much about the story Srikanth, I would like to share some of our similarities. I am still an Indian Citizen and for a long time I held the thought of becoming the President of India like our dear late President Dr. Abdul Kalam. Our board member Sundar and I were fortunate to receive the Distinguished Alumnus Award (REC Trichy) from President Dr. Abdul Kalam for our SEF work. I wanted to do something like the “Lead India” movement and inspire our youth to make India the greatest country. India is getting there. India will be a benevolent leader. Inspired by Swami Vivekananda, I sincerely believe that we can do anything and everything in life. Nothing is impossible. I was obsessed with Vision 20/20 by 2020 the way our board member Sundar is now obsessed with “March to a million” and I was a bit arrogant too. When they were not ready and did not have faith in me and SEF, USA to embrace our Vision 20/20 by 2020 back in the year 2000, I said “If you cannot do it, let us know now, we will go with other providers like Aravinda, Sankara Nethralaya and L.V. Prasad”, I was rightly called “Arrogant”. The big Vision was indeed embraced by all in the year 2002 and our collective progress is just phenomenal. I am more mellowed and more realistic now but still believe in “Nothing is impossible”, firmly. In no way am I comparing myself to Srikanth Bolla as his achievement is individual, aided by three people, whereas our achievement is a collective achievement. Hundreds of volunteers sincerely, passionately working so hard for so many years. And also the 60,000 donors, many of them supporting us for so many years. The motivated Hospital staff are delivering such high quality work. Sankara Eye Foundation, USA is on a "March to a million" to deliver one million free eye surgeries annually by the year 2030 and we are well on our way. We will deliver 400,000+ free eye surgeries at our 27 eye hospitals this fiscal year. I am very proud to be a part of this awesome “SEF family”. Please watch the movie “Srikanth”. Thanks, Murali Krishnamurthy Sankara Eye Foundation, USA

Divyogibhai is an asset to our organization. He is our most balanced person and the best crisis handler. His spiritual moorings gives him tremendous strength to handle any situation calmly. I am learning a lot from him. --Murali Krishnamurthy

Divyogi Patel is positive about our movement, and so are we! Our partners, volunteers and you can make the march to million free surgeries possible. Donate Now! https://lnkd.in/dagmJ-hy #MarchtoaMillion Sanjay Mudnaney Reshma Gadkari-Sharma Murali Krishnamurthy Rad Sundar K (Sri) Sridharan Nandita Bose Sonal Solanki #MarchToAMillion #Vision2030 #sankaraeyefoundation #sankaraeyehospital #ngo #nonprofit #charity #eyes #eyesight

Data is alarming and so is the situation. Until we do not scale we all will fail. This means more donations for more hospitals and more infrastructure A big reason we all need to march to the biggest movement known to mankind! Donate Now! https://lnkd.in/dagmJ-hy #MarchtoaMillion Sanjay Mudnaney Reshma Gadkari-Sharma Murali Krishnamurthy Rad Sundar Divyogi Patel K (Sri) Sridharan Nandita Bose Sonal Solanki #MarchToAMillion #Vision2030 #sankaraeyefoundation #sankaraeyehospital #ngo #nonprofit #charity #eyes #eyesight

At Gandhi Mandir in Pen, Maharashtra, the Sankara eye camp is set up early in the morning. As old and young people queue up to register, we notice a hoard of chattering women in floral scarves enter the gate. They are all distinguishable by their tightly wound-up colorful nine-yard sarees, flowers in their hair, the quintessential “nath” or nose-ring, plenty of heavy jewelry and white scarves with floral patterns. We chatted with them and learnt quite a bit about this coastal Konkan community. The Agri community profession, which originally used to be salt making, has now evolved to fishing for 8-9 months and tending to the paddy fields during off-season. They are knowledgeable about the environment and farming techniques. The women are quite progressive, having managed the sales of the ocean-fruit, while the fishermen sailed deep into the seas for the catch. The fisherwomen are adept at sorting the fish and using bamboo frames to sun-dry the famous “bombay duck” and shrimp – this dry fish is a delicacy eaten during the months when fishing is not possible due to the monsoons. They are also notorious for their excellent bargaining skills! One would proudly think that they have got a good deal while buying fish but look who’s having the last laugh! The bunch of women at the camp laughed loudly as they narrated stories of their village, and the marketplace. Some of them made their way back home, while the ones tested for surgery got into the Sankara bus to go to the hospital. Visit www.giftofvision.org for more information #MarchtoaMillion Sanjay Mudnaney Reshma Gadkari-Sharma Murali Krishnamurthy Rad Sundar Divyogi Patel Nandita Bose K (Sri) Sridharan Sonal Solanki #MarchToAMillion #Vision2030 #sankaraeyefoundation #sankaraeyehospital #ngo #nonprofit #charity #eyes #eyesight #storiesofsankara

इस अस्पताल का निर्माण कार्य तेजी से चल रहा है और उद्घाटन नवंबर 2024 के लिए योजनाबद्ध है। दान करे और हॉस्पिटल को पूरा करे : https://lnkd.in/du8m26mR #MarchtoaMillion Sanjay Mudnaney Reshma Gadkari-Sharma Murali Krishnamurthy Rad Sundar Divyogi Patel Nandita Bose K (Sri) Sridharan Sonal Solanki #MarchToAMillion #Vision2030 #sankaraeyefoundation #sankaraeyehospital #ngo #nonprofit #charity #eyes #eyesight #mathura

Guntur will have the finest eye hospital if you could extend your support. We need $3.5 million to complete the Sankara Eye Hospital, Guntur, which is a state-of-the-art facility ensuring that thousands of people in the region get the best facilities and expert care. Start donating now so we can finish the hospital in 2025. You could use the following link to donate : https://lnkd.in/df2aqrrP #MarchtoaMillion Sanjay Mudnaney Reshma Gadkari-Sharma Murali Krishnamurthy Rad Sundar Nandita Bose Divyogi Patel K (Sri) Sridharan Sonal Solanki #MarchToAMillion #Vision2030 #sankaraeyefoundation #sankaraeyehospital #ngo #nonprofit #charity #eyes #eyesight #guntur

SEF USA found a perfect partner in Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital and Mritunjay Ji and it is win-win-win!

Mritunjay Tiwary’s presence itself is an inspiration to the thousands of people who have had the fortune of meeting him, knowing him and learning from him. His vision aligns so perfectly with that of Sankara Eye Foundation, USA, that it almost seems like a twin vision! Since almost two decades, Mritunjay is building the vision that Sankara had set for itself, in the interiors of Bihar at Mastichak. He started building AKHAND JYOTI EYE HOSPITAL in 2005 with just 10 beds and 1000 free surgeries, and has today surpassed it multifold, with the Centre of Excellence in partnership with Sankara, with a capacity of 400 beds and 100,000 surgeries annually. Mritunjay’s focus on Eye Care in Rural geographies is laser sharp. He explains, “We have resolved to only work in low-income geographies - villages and tribal areas. We are absolutely clear about this, because if you look at infrastructure, it is already present in the urban areas. But two-thirds of Indians live in villages and that is why it is important to locate yourself in the midst of the problem.” “I can understand people may be wondering whether we will be able to build up a good infrastructure in a village, whether we can get resources, human resources, doctors, manager, staff, etc.” “I think it’s just about tweaking the business model. Everything is doable and Akhand Jyoti has actually proven that even in a village, you can still build world class infrastructure. You can create your own, large pool of doctors. You can have the best practices, you can have the best governance structures and replicate it elsewhere too.” Mritunjay’s words bring new hope and fervour to Sankara’s cause. After partnering with Sankara, Mritunjay’s team has aligned itself with Sankara’s vision. He says, “Last year we came up with Akhand Jyoti’s own vision for 2030 - which aligned with Sankara‘s goal of March to a Million by 2030 – over the next seven years, we intend to perform 2 million eye surgeries and give primary care and screening to 12,000,000 afflicted individuals.” “By 2030, Akhand Jyoti will be contributing 300,000 free surgeries, to support Sankara’s Million!” “Our capital expansion, operations expansion, human resources expansion - are all aligned with Sankara’s vision because we passionately believe that Akhand Jyoti and Sankara USA together can leave eternal legacies in eyecare in poor geographies of the country. “ If the goal seems large to an outsider, Mritunjay tops it with his closing remarks, “It is easily doable, we should aim for more than that!”. Visit www.giftofvision.org for more information #MarchtoaMillion Sanjay Mudnaney Reshma Gadkari-Sharma Murali Krishnamurthy Rad Sundar Divyogi Patel K (Sri) Sridharan Nandita Bose Sonal Solanki #MarchToAMillion #Vision2030 #sankaraeyefoundation #sankaraeyehospital #ngo #nonprofit #charity #eyes #eyesight