January to March updates:

Bihar 

• RAAB Survey in Samastipur District was conducted in January 2023 to enumerate the prevalence of blindness in the intervention district in partnership with Standard Chartered Bank.
• Sightsavers provided its support (with clinical protocols and document preparation for strengthening the secondary eye health services across 38 districts) to State Blindness Control Cell for a one-lakh cataract surgery mandate.
• Eye camp for the police constables in Forbesganj, Araria, under Fullerton supported REH programme, was held at Forbesganj Police station on 27th February. During this camp total of 64 police officials and constables were screened, of which 43 were identified with uncorrected refractive error and prescribed spectacles.
• To observe International Women’s Day, an exceptional eye camp was organised by partner NBJK in the Mohanpur block of Gaya. During this eye camp, 116 people were screened, 66% being women beneficiaries; the camp identified 25 women with cataracts who were then operated on at LNJP hospital.
• Starting afresh in 2023, the UEH programme adopted new strategies and levelled up with the mobile eye van providing eye check-up services in the wards of Patna. The UPHCs function on a roaster basis, with the optometrist screening patients once a week in each UPHC. ASHA day is observed once a month. They are being oriented on the referral of patients to the UPHC, especially more women patients. The optometrists have also been trained on gender and eye health, the concept and the success stories of veteran eye health hospitals.

Chhattisgarh 

• Standard Chartered Bank’s support gained for the Rajanandagaon REH project.
• Mega Eye Screening Camp was organised at Village Kesda, Block Simga of High Impact district Balodabazar. Corporate APL Apollo supported the camp under its CSR initiative “Jeevan Jyoti 1.0”. A total of 246 villagers were screened in the centre, 60 were identified with cataracts and referred to the base hospital, and 94 persons were given spectacles. The CHC staff and govt frontline workers supported the camp.

Jharkhand 

• 4 Panchayats, Bargada, Katkamsandi, Kanchanpur and Gadhokar, were made Cataract Backlog Blindness Free with joint efforts from Sightsavers India, Block Administration of Katkamsandi and the JSLPS Team.
• A special camp was organised on Internal Women’s Day in Barkhatta and Ichak. Approximately 78 people were screened, out of which 90% were females.
• REH Team has supported eye screening to the Government in health camps – Barkattha, Chalkusa, Keredaari and Barkagaon, which are marked as the High Priority blocks of Hazaribag under the Programme principle guidelines.
• A special eye camp was organised for Truckers and other vehicle drivers at CHC Barkattha with collaboration from DTO on 23rd February 2023. 65 people were screened under the camp.
• Swasthya Mela- In collaboration with DBCS Ramgarh, the Sightsavers India Jharkhand team was able to include an eye health programme at Health Fair ( Swasthya Mela) in the Ramgarh district, where 68 patients were screened.
• Social Activist (Volunteers) Awareness Programme on eye health was held at Gola CHC, where 43 social activists participated whose involvement in referral mechanism and eye health service delivery is crucial.

Madhya Pradesh 

• One-day training organised in district Jhabua for Ophthalmic assistants and data operators of District Hospital on data disaggregation and DPM of Jhabua participated in this training.
• Two Core Committee meetings were organised for Madhya Pradesh State Network for Universal Eye Health. The first meeting was held in Bhopal, during which the Committee discussed the draft Terms of Reference and finalised the modus operandi. In the second meeting, held virtually, discussions were held on a draft of the letterhead, preparation of the eye health network directory and communication with the Government regarding the network members and responsibilities. Both meetings were attended by representatives from NGO hospitals & corporate hospitals and facilitated by Mr Akbar Mehfuz Alam, Sr. Manager- Govt Relations & Policy Engagement, Sightsavers India and Mr Phanindra Babu, CEO, VISION 2020 India
• Accenture team visited Bhopal & Raisen and interacted with the programme team to understand how and to what extent Sightsavers’ work contributes to improvements in women’s lives to develop a gender strategy for Sightsavers India programmes.
• Corporate Fundraising team comprising 10 members led by Jatin Tiwari, Head of Corporate Partnerships from New Delhi, visited district Katni to learn various Sightsavers-supported programmes on Eye Health & Inclusion & convergence. This was followed by the visit of Director – Programme Operations Prassana Kumar and Head HR Smitha Bala.
• Special camp organised for cancer patients and their caregivers jointly with Intas Foundation at a shelter home Apna Ghar. 75 people (including 39 males and 36 females) were screened in the camp, of which 15 were provided spectacles. Seven persons were referred to the base hospital for further treatment.
• Traffic awareness week was observed in the collaboration Traffic police, Bhopal, where 4 special camps were organised to screen 263 persons; 68 were prescribed spectacles and 19 persons were referred to the base hospital for further treatment.
• Two Government integrated vision centre under Amrita Drishti Urban Eye Health Programme has been linked with the free spectacle dispensing unit established in a govt health facility in collaboration with Essilor Luxottica Foundation. Now the patients prescribed with spectacle in any Government setup can access free spectacles from this dispensing unit.

Odisha 

• Glaucoma Week: Glaucoma Week was celebrated at partner hospitals in Odisha from 12th to 18th March through various activities (like free screening camps and community walks) to raise awareness about the condition and encourage early diagnosis and treatment. In Keonjhar community walk was held on 17/03/2023 by partner LVPEI with the support of the teachers of the police high school. The event was covered by local media, which helped to spread the message even further.
• Special Eye Health Screening Drive for KGBV Hostel Girls: Mahatma Gandhi Eye Hospital & Research Institute (MGEHRI) conducted a special Eye Health Screening Drive for the girls studying and residing at the KGBV campus.
• Cycle March for Blindness-Free Mayurbhanj: As part of the Rashtriya Netra Jyoti Abhiyan implemented by the NPCB&VI, a Directive has been issued to clear the backlog of cataract cases in Mayurbhanj by 2025. Partner MGEHRI has been conducting outreach eye screening camps at the village level throughout Mayurbhanj to identify cataract patients who require surgery.

To raise awareness among elderly residents of villages about the potential benefits of cataract surgery at MGEHRI and to encourage greater community involvement in the Blindness-Free Mayurbhanj initiative, an MGEHRI volunteer named Richi Milan embarked on a solo cycling journey spanning 500 kilometres and covering all the blocks of Mayurbhanj. This solo cycling expedition was completed over 5 days and was dedicated to celebrating MGEHRI’s 22 years of unwavering commitment and service.

• Eye care and Education to Frontline Workers and SHGs: Partner LVPEI conducted a training program designed to educate SHG members on the importance of eye health. Partner MGEHRI launched an innovative strategy involving ASHA workers to expedite the cataract identification process at the community level.

Rajasthan

• Rajasthan becomes India’s first State to pass the Right to Health Bill and awaits formulation of the Act. Sightsavers participated and contributed to the meetings organised with the Government along with other civil society organisations on eye health and disability aspects to be covered under the right to health.
• 85 ASHAS were trained on primary eye health and identifying cataracts which garnered support from the district administration in Jalore. Various local newspapers covered the training.
• The district administration of Pratapgarh adopted Sightsavers Vidyajyoti School Eye Health Programme and undertook the programme Mission Drishti in campaign mode to reach out to the school-going children of Pratapgarh extending eye health services for those needing them. 146,038 children screened in Pratapgarh with support from community health officers (CHOs), Teachers, ASHAs and Anganwadi workers.
• District Collector of Ganganagar connected with the State Programme Lead – Rajasthan to refract and diagnose the school-going children of the government schools. Sightsavers, through its partner hospital Jagdamba Eye Hospital at Ganganagar, refracted 5,607 children. The district administration will provide the spectacles for children needing them.

Uttar Pradesh

• Awareness workshop for 135 ASHAs and AWW organised in Lakhimpur Kheri district on Retinoblastoma and eye cancer among children. They were oriented on the symptoms and treatment.
• Urban Eye Health Programme at Kanpur audited by. Rahul from Deloitte (appointed by Standard Chartered Bank). He visited the base hospital and the vision centre and interacted with ASHA and MAS workers.
• Special eye screening camps were organised for delivery men associated with Swiggy, Zomato, Gas agencies, Amazon, and Myntra. A total of 114 delivery men in Kanpur and 43 in Prayagraj were screened, of which 91 were identified with refractive error.
• Mega camp organised in Prayagraj with the support of the Municipal leader. A total of 190 people were screened, of which 168 were identified with refractive error. 157 people received free spectacles, and patients identified with cataracts were referred to the base hospital.
• Three-day hands-on training on Quality Eye Care Protocol was organised for all the vision centre staff in Chitrakoot. The training was led by Dr Sandeep Bhuttan- Global Technical lead, Sightsavers and Dr Ashish Bajaj- Senior consultant.

West Bengal 

• Madarihat – Birpara block of Alipurduar district has been declared Cataract Blindness Backlog Free (CBBF) on February 2023- second block of Alipurduar district, which has been declared as CBBF after is Kalchini Block.
• Ken Moon, Chief Operation Officer of Sightsavers, along with the CEO of Sightsavers India, Mr R.N Mohanty, visited an Inclusive Eye Health Camp at Kurchi Shibpur GP, Udaynarayanpur block, Howrah, where integration of REH, SI & IE project has been done.
• Under the urban programme of WB, in collaboration with West Bengal State Rural Mission (WBSRLM), an integrated eye testing camp was organised where 212 government employees, along with the Chief Secretary and CEO of WBSRLM, were screened, refracted, and tested for DR
• Eye health-related student-friendly wall painting has been done in 5 schools of the Alipurduar district.
• 30 girl peer educators of 5 schools have been trained on inclusive eye health and mensural hygiene in the Alipurduar district.
• Almost 80 teachers have been trained on primary eye screening and WASH. Detail training has been provided by team Sightsavers to all 23 district health officials under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, on the declaration process of a district as CBBF.
• A good collaboration between Rural Eye Health & Social Inclusion project in the Howrah districts has been developed. Now, SHG members independently organise eye screening camps by liaising with the REH project’s point person, Howrah. A total of three eye screening camps have been organised by SHG members, where almost 400 (Approx.) women have benefitted.

Bihar

• Tricycle distribution among PwDs– Pragati OPD members of Gaya tried to link the PwDs with their entitlements, particularly for assistive devices. OPD members regularly met the government officials to sensitise them on the needs of people with disabilities, and as a result, on 18^th March, the District Administration distributed electronic tricycles to 35 PwDs.
• OPD account opening and inclusion of PwDs in OPD. 56 SHGs from 2 blocks (Mohanpur and Dobhi )with a total of 121 PwDs were included as OPD members in February. The OPD collected a total of Rs 5600/- as a lifetime subscription fee from these SHGs and ensured their inclusion under the broad umbrella of OPD.
• Business Development Training of PwDs- identified PwDs from the 3 EE blocks and were provided two days of training on developing the business plan of targeted PwDs.
• Sign Language training– Hearing and Speech Impaired PwDs were trained on sign language skills, learning and interpretation. This sign language training was conducted from 23^rd to 27^th February to train the PwDs with the skills to enter the job market as per the requirement raised by the employers.

Chhattisgarh

• State Level MOU with Department of Social Welfare Chhattisgarh signed. Mr Ramesh Kumar Sharma (IAS), Director, Social Welfare Department, signed the MOU copies. Sightsavers under this MOU will provide technical support to the department for Socio-economic development of Persons with Disabilities.
• The State government has increased the disability pension from Rs 300 to Rs 500 in the 23-24 budget. OPDs have been advocating for an increment in the pension amount for a few years.
• ABC team from Delhi visited district Balodabazar(sample district) & trained the investigators (PwDs members) for a socio-cultural and economic survey of PwDs under the Social Inclusion programme in the district. Total 32 sample surveys will be conducted, and the data will be shared with ABC consultancy for further studies.
• Four PWD SHGs were formed in both EE blocks, of which two have received revolving funds from SRLM.
• Training on soap and washing powder making was organised in the EE blocks of SI district Mahasamund. Total 54 PWDs took part in the training and learnt about the process of making quality products.
• The first VI Persons batch of Tanya Computer Centre, Balodabazar, completed their course in the month of March. The second batch will commence from April 23 onwards.

Jharkhand

• Access Audit Training – In view of improving the accessibility on health on 2^nd Feb 2023. 6 PwDs were trained on access audit.
• One Month, One Panchayat – A new Saturation Model approach has been adopted under the SI project in Jharkhand in Feb. 2023 to saturate one Panchayat in a month in one Economic Empowerment block, i.e., two Panchayats will be saturated in a month. Until now, Kavilashi and Medhkhuri in Daru block and Danr in Katkamsandi block have been saturated.
• Three Inclusive eye health camps were organised at Kavilashi, Medhkhuri and Ramdeo Kharika Panchayats, where 130 people were screened.
• Distribution of assistive devices (9 tricycles, 2 wheelchairs, 3 Crutch) was facilitated through OPDs in Barkagaon block of Hazaribag on 19^th March 2023.

Madhya Pradesh

• The Social Security saturation campaign was launched in Katni by the Director of the Operations programme at Sightsavers India, Mr. Prasanna Kumar. The campaign will run for the next three months, and plans are in place to saturate the EE blocks, followed by the remaining blocks. Our trained OPD members will do the campaign to ensure 100% social security benefits to all PwDs.
• A one-day workshop for making Katni Accessible and Inclusive was co-organized by Sightsavers and Collector Katni (Mr. Avi Prasad). The workshop on universal Accessibility designs and Inclusive Park engineers from PWD, Nagar Nigam, Housing Board, Rural Engineering Dept, PHE, RRDA and other departments like SJE and WCD were present.
• Sightsavers facilitated an access audit of the collectorate (as per the request from the collector) with the support of Dr Anjlee Agarwal, Accessibility specialist. The collector was present during the access audit feedback and presentation on the plan for an Inclusive Park. He extended his full support to Sightsavers for any initiatives in Katni.
• ABC team from Delhi visited the Katni district (sample district) & trained the investigators (PwDs members) for the District Household Survey of Social Inclusion programme. The study will capture the socio-cultural and economic data of persons with disability in the program districts.
• The Collector of Katni chaired the first meeting of the District level committee (LLC) with the presence of members of SJE, Education, Health, DIC, WCD, and other NGOs. The Committee, mandated in RPWD Act 2016, was formed because of Sightsavers’ advocacy. OPD members were given the opportunity to speak in the meeting. Collector has extended his full support, including financial support.
• Judo girls- Janki, Priya, and Anjali were selected for International Para Judo competitions in Heidelberg, Germany and Borj EI Arab, Egypt. Their performance will qualify them for the para- Asian games to be held in Hangzhou, China, in February 2023, and the Paralympic Games in Paris, France, in 2024.
• Two-day advocacy planning workshop held in district Katni where 30 OPD members participated and prepared their annual advocacy plan.
• Three PWDs gainfully employed in different corporates.
• Under Bajaj Supported SI programme in Mandla district, 3 days of residential training were conducted for 90 PwDs on OPD formation, leadership, and advocacy. This was for the first time PwDs of this district as attending training. 22% of them were females who attended the training.
• Under Bajaj Supported SI programme in Raisen, four inclusive SHGs formed in the Sanchi block comprising 12 PwDs.

Odisha

• 19 PWDs from Lanjigarh Block of Kalahandi received 27 thousand each for starting livelihood activities from March onwards. This grant was given by Kutia Kandha Development Agency (KKDA- a nodal agency working in Kalahandi to enhance the livelihood of the PVTG community.
• 6 PWDs SHG received 50 thousand each as Revolving Fund (RF) for the promotion of livelihood activities. After verification of applications received from SHGs, the district team finalised to provide financial support of Rs 50000 /- each to 8 SHGs in Kalahandi under Mission Khyamata, out of which 6 PWD SHGs are from the economic empowerment block (Junagarh).

Rajasthan

• Sightsavers signed the first MOU of 2023 with Rajasthan State Livelihood Mission (RGAVP) for the socio-economic development of persons with disabilities. Ms Manju Rajpal, Secretary to Government – RGAVP and Mr R.N. Mohanty, CEO – Sightsavers India, were the signatories of the MoU.
• Sightsavers advocated for incorporating budgetary provisions for capacity building, service delivery and integration of Eye Health with a special focus on cataracts to the tune of INR 34 lakhs in the State Livelihood Mission for the Dungarpur and Pratapgarh districts.
• Vision-building training was organised for the Pratapgarh district chapter of APNO Sansthan to develop their understanding of heading the organisation, strategy, resource mobilisation, fund management, and implementing concepts for the effective execution of advocacy-related work. Women PWD members of the Chittorgarh chapter of APNO conducted the training. An action plan and advocacy agenda were developed by the end of the exercise.
• Gender Assessment of the Gender Committee of the Pratapgarh, Udaipur, Sirohi, Dungarpur and Chittorgarh was done by Samarthyam, based on the which OPD by-laws were strengthened, keeping gender at the core.
• An exposure visit was organised for the Gender Committee of Pratapgarh, Udaipur, Sirohi, Dungarpur and Chittorgarh, which aided them in developing their understanding of the various schemes, programmes, policies of the department of women empowerment, department of specially-abled person and Sakhi one-stop centre in Jaipur. Gender committee members were provided training to build an understanding on various concepts of gender and various forms of gender-based violence and ways to address them.
• OPD members in district units of Dungarpur, Pratapgarh, Sirohi, Chittorgarh and Udaipur were oriented about the committee, introducing committee members before everyone and sharing the action plan to strengthen the gender component of APNO. Secondly, the gender committee members of Dungarpur and Chittorgarh visited one-stop centres and Mahila Police Thana of their respective districts and built rapport with the officials and staff, shared about their organisation, and increased awareness on the needs of women with disabilities.
• Self-defence training in Pratapgarh was organised this month, 09 adolescent CVI girls were trained on self-defence techniques.
• State-level consultation on Rajasthan State Policy for Women with Disabilities was organised with an encouraging representation of officials from the SJE department and WCD department along with experts of Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, civil society organisations and good participation of women with disabilities from Sightsavers Rajasthan’s brainchild APNO Santhan, a state-level organisation of persons with disabilities. At the consultation, participants reflected on various themes of policy, including health, education, data, access to justice, independent living, security and so on and provided their recommendations. Sightsavers India collaborated with Samarthyam, to develop this policy. This is for the first time ever that such a policy has been conceptualised in India.
• Sightsavers Rajasthan advocacy efforts with the Department of Rural Development to ensure persons with disabilities gain employment under the Chief Minister Grameen Employment Guarantee Scheme (CMREGS) resulted in the issuance of a Govt order in the state to ensure that persons with disabilities are included in the activities of RGAVP such as dairy booths, milk collection centres, canteens, farm and non-farm activities.
• Sightsavers Rajasthan’s brainchild APNO Sansthan, a state level organization of persons with disabilities presented suggestions to the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, the Chief Secretary of Rajasthan, Secretary to Government Social Justice and Empowerment Department and Disability Commissioner of Rajasthan and as a result of the continuous advocacy efforts orders were released in the state on i) Implementation of increase in pension announced in Rajasthan to provide a minimum of INR 1000 to each person with disabilities in the state which was INR 750 in 2022-23; (ii) Increase in the disability pension based on inflation, the government has announced to allocate of a hike of 15% of the disability pension in the state budget for every year; and (iii) Increase in the age group of persons with disabilities applying under Scooty Yojna: The government of Rajasthan announced an increase in the age group of persons with disabilities applying under Scooty Yojna to 60 years, which has been increased from 45 years in 2022–2023.
• RGAVP is developing a strategy on FNHW (Food, Nutrition, Health & WASH) in which the Sightsavers Rajasthan team advocated for the inclusion of PWDs. A presentation on the Disability Inclusive State of Rajasthan was made on how disability and gender, with the active participation of Women with Disabilities, can contribute to the NRLM’s goal of eliminating poverty. This will contribute to the overall Dashasutra strategy of NRLM, for which RGAVP is developing the strategy for the State.

Uttar Pradesh

• Bank accounts for 7 of the 8 SHGs in Kasganj have been opened with the close collaboration of the UPSRLM District Mission Manager and Block Mission Manager, as well as the main support of the DC NRLM.
• OPD members raised concerns and issues related to UDID cards, bus passes; rail passes during stakeholder interaction meetings with District Magistrate (DM) Kasganj. DM has given the order to organise more camps for issuing UDID in the district in the next two months so that the remaining UDID cards can be issued to all PwDs.
• The Sightsavers team facilitated the registration of 959 PwDs for assistive devices in the Unnao district.
• Self-Défense training organised in Kasganj district for Visually Impaired girls from classes 6^th to 12^th. Total 13 girls participated in the training.
• Sightsavers facilitated interviews of 14 PwDs in Kasganj by the LIC, Four Leaf Hotel, and Vishal Mega Mart. Six PwDs were hired. The selected candidates will receive their offer letters in the month of April.
• As a result of Sightsavers’ continued advocacy, the disability welfare department organised a motorised tricycle camp in Unnao. 100 persons with locomotor disabilities in this camp received motorised tricycles, the majority of whom were female.

West Bengal

• Training of 21 coaches has been done under Graduation Model, and through them, around 850 PwD’s profiling has been completed. Financial profiling of PwDs is yet to start.
• DRDC, Howrah has invaded team Sightsavers to organise a district-level sensitisation and planning programme where discussion on the target for 2023 has been done.
• Block-level sensitisation training has been completed in all fourteen blocks of Howrah district with 147 Sangha (SHG) members after getting approval from DRDC, Howrah.

Bihar

• CVIs from Bhagalpur and Jehanabad districts emerged with flying colours in their matriculation exam- supported under the HCL programme, 9 CVIs appeared in class 10^th and 12^th Board Examination under the Bihar board. They have secured first division marks in their board exams, being capacitated with the SPARSH program, enabled with devices, and mentored by the IE staff, which helped them earn feathers on their hats.

Chhattisgarh

• Annual work plan discussion meeting organised by Samagra Shiksha in which Sightsavers India was invited to provide inputs regarding CVIs-related annual activities.
• The development of 2 resource centres at BRC Balodabazar and Bhatpara has been completed. Both centres are functioning well. The renovation work by the Sightsavers has been appreciated by many, including government officials, Local NGOs, and CVIs’ parents.
• Laptops were distributed, and training was organised for 10 Children with Visual Impairment in Balodabazar.
• Low Vision devices were distributed, and training was organised for 25 Children with Visual Impairment.
• Mobile and Daisy Player Distribution and Training were organised for 25 children who received mobile and daisy players in the district of Balodabazar.
• 45 social animators participated in a two-day training on inclusive pedagogy and the use of ICT devices to support the CVIs in Balodabazar

Jharkhand

• The MoU with Jharkhand Education Project Council has been signed and renewed for further three years till 2025.
• A special event on Louis Braille’s Birthday celebration was conducted under Inclusive Education Project in Deogarh and Hazaribagh districts on 4^th Jan 2023 in which the children with visual impairment and other disabilities participated and explored their talents among the public.

District-level Model Resource Centre has been established in collaboration with the Jharkhand Education project in Deogarh with fully equipped scientific teaching and learning material information and communication technology devices.

Madhya Pradesh

• Sightsavers facilitated 3-day State level Master Trainers refresher training on “Braille and Sign Language” jointly with Rajya Shiksha Kendra in Bhopal as a follow-up of 8-day MT training held last year. They will reach out to 5200 teachers and get trained to teach CVIs & HI students across the State.
• Sightsavers IE team trained 130 teachers on 21 types of disability, resource centre benefits, and the use of ICT devices which was organised by Zila Shiksha Kendra.
• Low vision assessment was undertaken jointly with the Education dept in all seven blocks of district Raisen and nine blocks of district Mandla. A total of 138 children were assessed in Raisen and 98 children in Mandla. Of these, 57 children have been prescribed Low Vision Devices.
• Access audit of 67 private schools conducted on request from District Collector Katni. The team of Sightsavers prepared the outline of the program jointly with District Education officials for all the blocks. Recommendations will be submitted to the Collector.
• The Collector organised a district-level (CWSN) assessment camp. A total of 54 CVI got certified, and 34 assistive devices were distributed. The Sightsavers team coordinated with the department, CwSN and PwDs so that the maximum number of PwDs could benefit.
• Training staff, DPOs and Animators on developing Individual Education plan held in Raisen district under Bajaj supported programme. Sixty participants participated in the training. Parents, teachers, DPO members and community members who are in direct contact with the CVIs were motivated by their responsibilities towards the CVIs.
• As a result of the continued advocacy of Sightsavers, writers were made available to all 48 blind children of district Katni to appear for their Main Exam.

Odisha

• Training of vision technicians was organised at Susrut Eye Hospital and Research Centre Kolkata from February 20 to 24th. 10 vision technicians participated in the training program and will be assisted during the low vision assessment training conducted at different districts by the Samagra Shiksha.
• Participation in Braille Day at Bhubaneswar – Six CVIs from the Ganjam project participated in Braille reading and writing, Song competition, poem recitation etc. Out of them, two CVIs received prizes for their talents.
• Training of Master Trainers on Inclusive Education and Evaluation System was organised in Kendujhar, covering 30 teachers as Master Trainers.
• Training of Parents and Social Animators on supporting the learning of CVIs & Capacity building of Education Volunteers on developing IEP was organised at Kendujhar and Kalahandi. Total of 103 (34 in Kendujhar and 69 in Kalahandi) participants participated in the programme.
• Participation in State and District Level Training Programme: State Consultant at the state level and respective DPCs and IE Facilitators at the district level participated in the training programme for the district resource group members on inclusive education and management of resource centre organised by OSEPA at the state level and by District Samagra Shiksha at district level respectively.

Rajasthan

• Model BRC renovation work was completed in Alwar, which DXC Technology supported. Other devices, such as talking watches, talking calculators, cricket balls etc., were distributed to CVIs at the BRC level in different blocks.
• HCL project assessment of Jhalawar and Udaipur was completed in March with the close of the five-year-long IE programme in Jhalawar. A representative from HCL visited Udaipur, met with beneficiaries and the district team, and provided positive feedback on the project outcomes.
• In Alwar, the district team provided technical support to SMSA in the government’s Plus curriculum training programme.
• A 10-day residential training of 19 children with visual impairment as organised in district Pratapgarh on plus-curriculum under Bajaj supported programme. It was the first time such training took place in the district.
• Training on the use of DAISY Player: 5 CVIs were distributed to Daisy Player and trained for 5 days in a residential training in Pratapgarh.
• In Pratapgarh, 32 general teachers were trained on inclusive pedagogies and ICT.
• In Alwar, Community awareness sessions were conducted at eight BRCs where the team took sessions with CVIs, their parents and guardians, schoolteachers, RTs, and school principals on various learning methods and devices used by CVIs.
• Refresher Training on the use of ICT was conducted in Udaipur for 63 children with visual impairment on mobile and laptops at the BRC level. These CVIs have also received training earlier, and this time revisions on the use of mobile and laptop helped them greatly.
• Samagra Shiksha organised a functional assessment camp in Alwar where Sightsavers supported the availability of a low-vision expert from Dr Shroff. Fifty-three children were screened, and 8 CVIs were provided low-vision devices.
• State Level ICT training on Mobile was organised by Samagra Shiksha, where Sightsavers supported resource persons trained 41 CVIs who came from across the state.

Uttar Pradesh

• The Uttar Pradesh education department has acknowledged the Sightsavers’ efforts in inclusive education, and as a result, the Memorandum of Understanding has extended through 2023.
• Block resource centre renovation and device procurement have been completed. IE facilitators of Kasganj and Sitapur have started taking practice sessions on ICT devices and Braille Kit at BRC regularly. The official inauguration of Kasganj’s BRC has been planned for the month of April.
• A three-day refresher training on ICT devices and Braille Kit was held in two blocks of district Kasganj. 39 CVIs attended the training, and they were taught on the use of different tools available in the braille kit, smartphone, and daisy player.
• More than 80 district and block-level government officials, the principal of DIET and the DIOS (District Inspector of School) participated in district-level consultation meetings on the strategic planning of inclusive education in Sitapur.
• A low vision assessment camp was organised with the coordination of Dr Shroff Charity Eye care hospital in Kasganj District 100 children were screened in the camp.
• In Sitapur, a low vision assessment of 216 children was done with the coordination of Sitapur Eye Hospital. 35 low vision children were identified. This was followed by a one-day training on low vision devices for identified children along with their parents.

West Bengal

• 1047 CVIs have been registered in Sugamya portal, a remarkable achievement of the IE team in the Howrah district.
• A low Vision Assessment Camp for Children with Visual Impairment has been organised in the Bankura district, where 60 CVIs were assessed to check their current Impairment level. Based on the report, low-vision devices were allocated.
• 40 students and 32 teachers have been evaluated for HCLF in Howrah, under which one headmaster, teacher, district inspector and state-level deputy secretary have been evaluated.
• Functional and learning assessment through the STAR app has been done where baseline and progressive goal set entry has been done for 30 CVI students in Howrah.