Community Outreach

Community Outreach is taking health care to that part of the community which has no access and awareness of such services.  In eye care, it is the practice of conducting eye camps involving local community as partners.

Dr. G. Venkataswamy (Dr. V), founder of the Aravind Eye Care System, had a strong awareness of the barriers to eye care experienced by people in the greatest need: poverty, fear, suspicion and lack of transport.  He started organising eye camps as early in 1960s when he was in the government service.  He played a major role in the development of outreach programmes in eye care. He started conducting eye camps by involving the local community as a partner in rural areas.  Dr.V strongly believed that involving community as partners creates more ownership for eye camps. Part of the expenses (publicity and local arrangements) is borne by the community partners.

Aravind, ever since inception, focused on community outreach programmes which take eye care service to the doorstep of the needy. Over the years, camps became an integral part of Aravind’s eye care delivery contributing 30% to the total cataract surgeries performed. Through a vast network of community partners, every year, the organisation conducts over 2,500 free eye camps.