Give the Gift of Sight to the poor in India

This past spring, I visited with several eye cancer survivors and their families at the Aravind Eye Hospital in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. Some first came to Aravind as children or infants and now are young adults, completing their education or working at their first job.

All of these patients are beneficiaries of Aravind's Ring of Hope program.  Families frequently express their gratitude for the compassionate and expert care they receive at Aravind -- completely free of cost. It is devastating to hear that your child has cancer – the last thing you need is to worry about how to pay for treatment. 

One young woman, 21-year-old Jeyanthi, travelled all the way from Coimbatore to Madurai with her father to spend the afternoon with us. She told the head of the program, Dr. Usha Kim, “I would travel anywhere and anytime you need me to speak about Aravind to other patients.  I am so thankful.”  Jeyanthi is graduating college in three months with a degree in special education and will work at Aravind’s Low Vision department in Madurai.  We are lucky to have her!

And, we're lucky to have you as our friend and supporter.  During the last 12 months, you've helped us start 57 new patients on the road to health, provide 815 follow-up visits, offer genetic testing to 51 patients and family members, and create custom eye prosthetics for 41 children.  Thank you!

Please reach out to me if you have any questions about our work and how your donation is being used.  I would love to hear from you.  And, tell your friends about the good work that you are doing to eliminate needless blindness! 

In gratitude, Donna Campbell, Executive Director, Aravind Eye Foundation

"Intelligence and capability are not enough.  There must be the joy of doing something beautiful."

From the journals of Dr. G. Venkataswamy, founder of the Aravind Eye Care System

I am writing to you from my favorite place – Aravind Eye Hospital – Madurai in Tamil Nadu, India. It was here, 20 years ago, that Dr. Usha Kim started Aravind’s Ring of Hope program to help children with retinoblastoma (eye cancer).

At that time, parents brought their children to Aravind often not knowing what was wrong. Sometimes they left, devastated by a diagnosis of cancer and overwhelmed by the cost of treatment, which usually includes surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. If the family put off treatment, their children might lose their sight and even their lives.

This was unacceptable to Dr. Usha. Aravind believes that everyone has the right to high-quality eye care, regardless of their ability to pay – and so the Ring of Hope was born.

In 2004, the first year, Dr. Usha and her team of provided 151 patient visits free of charge to 30 patients. Fast forward to 2024 and Aravind has provided more than 15,000 patient visits to nearly 1000 children.

Every year, we celebrate our brave young patients and their families at “Survivors’ Day”. Some of them have been with us since the early days of Ring of Hope.

Mohamed was two years old when his parents brought him to Aravind. He had retinoblastoma in both eyes – one eye had to be removed, but the other responded to chemotherapy. Today, he is studying business communications at Maldives University, but he still finds time to come back and visit Dr. Usha and team!

I will be sharing more stories from our Ring of Hope program during our 20th anniversary year.  If you have any questions, please reach out to me through GlobalGiving or feel free to contact me at +1 917 412 4742 or donnacampbll@aravind.org.  Please join our celebration of hope!   

With gratitude,

Donna Campbell

“Loss of Sight can be the greatest tragedy next to death. It takes away their sight, respect and decision–making authority. Our job is not just to bring them vision. How do we get them back their dignity?”

From the journals of Dr. G. Venkataswamy, founder of Aravind Eye Care System