The EyeMitra Optician Programme: Vision for Livelihood through Vision Care
The EyeMitra Optician Programme: Vision for Livelihood through Vision Care
Authors : Suviena Bagrodia & Praniti Maini
Jahid Ali is from the village of Kehriyan Jawahar near Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh. Till last year, like many of his peers, he was an unemployed 25 year old. It was a typical case where education could not sustain his interest and with unpredictable rainfall, agriculture did not secure a livelihood. Yet, like his elder brother, he became one of the many disguised employed on the family’s already overburdened small agricultural land. In the hopes of finding alternative employment, he travelled to the city but the living conditions of his friends with ‘city’ jobs dispirited him.
In a chance encounter, Jahid bumped into Usman – an ex classmate, who introduced him to the EyeMitra1 (EM) Optician Programme. EyeMitra Opticians, as the name suggests, are friendly neighbourhood opticians trained to create awareness on vision impairment and equipped to manage independent optical stores within their communities. Usman had completed the EM Optician Course in Rampur and had a flourishing shop about 10 kilometres away. Impressed and inspired by Usman’s profession, particularly the respect enjoyed by him in his village, Jahid enrolled for the programme.
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