Global Activism: Vision Varanasi Helping The Blind In India

Blindfolded women walk in a row to join visually impaired people during a ‘Blind Walk’ in Bangalore, India, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2014. Some 600 people participated in the walk that was organized to create awareness about blindness and encourage people to donate their eyes, the organizers said.
Blindfolded women walk in a row to join visually impaired people during a 'Blind Walk' in Bangalore, India, in 2014. Aijaz Rahi / AP Photo
Blindfolded women walk in a row to join visually impaired people during a ‘Blind Walk’ in Bangalore, India, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2014. Some 600 people participated in the walk that was organized to create awareness about blindness and encourage people to donate their eyes, the organizers said.
Blindfolded women walk in a row to join visually impaired people during a 'Blind Walk' in Bangalore, India, in 2014. Aijaz Rahi / AP Photo

Global Activism: Vision Varanasi Helping The Blind In India

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Nearly half of the world’s blind children lost their sight from avoidable causes, according to the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB).

In 2014, Worldview spoke with Chicago-area environmental engineer and community activist, Raj Rajaram, about his project to help India’s children overcome the country’s high illiteracy rate. He has now turned his attention to giving sight to India’s blind, especially children.

For our Global Activism segment, Rajaram will talk about his work with Vision Varanasi, a project and hospital in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, that seeks out India’s blind in poor village and slum areas.