Eye Care Project of Manabik Shahajya Sangastha is a non-profit organization dedicated to eliminate avoidable blindness in Bangladesh. Manabik Shahajya Sangastha was founded in 1974 by a group of students.
Eye Care Project (ECP):
Manabik Shahajya Sangstha (MSS), equipped with its experience in providing eye care services in Bangladesh is implementing its Eye Care Project (ECP-MSS) with the aim to identify and treat preventable blindness among the underprivileged; to promote community awareness and education on eye health; and to increase capacity and access to eye care services.
Manabik Shahajya Sangstha (MSS):
Manabik Shahajya Sangstha (MSS) is a premier Bangladeshi non-governmental organization formed by a group of students of Dhaka Residential Model School and later of the University of Dhaka in 1974 when the country was hit by a massive flood. MSS started as a relief agency which later reoriented its focus on poverty alleviation through microcredit and development. Currently, MSS programs are integrated and include micro credit, women empowerment, healthcare, childcare, primary education, among others, with the goal to establish a society free from poverty where there is equality among citizens and citizens’ rights and dignity are respected.
- To Identify and treat preventable blindness among the underserved,
- To promote community awareness & education on eye health
- To increase capacity & access to eye care services.
- Acquire mobile eye clinics
- Upgrade EVC to conduct surgery
- Purchasing medical equipment
- Establish eye hospitals & clinics in remote areas
- Set up research & training institutes to enhance
- the capacity and skills of the eye care personnel.
Our eye care services target underserved people and all services including surgery are free of cost.
- Eye Camps: Organizes eye camps to provide basic eye care services to the underserved people in remote, rural areas, identifies eye surgery patients, facilitates eye surgeries and provides spectacles & medicines.
- SSTP: Conducts School Sight Testing Program (SSTP) to provide comprehensive eye care services to the underserved school children, provides spectacles, medicines and referrals.
- Awareness Campaign: Promotes community awareness on eye care. Conducts awareness campaigns at the eye camps and other program activities through posters, leaflets, flyers, presentations, facebook, youtube, website etc.
- Partner Hospital: Provides technical assistance to our eye camps and conducts surgery and post-surgery follow-up of identified patients.
ECP conducted 55 eye camps in different districts of Bangladesh such as: Panchogarh, Thakurgaon, Rangpur, Nilphamari, Sirajganj, Nouga, Pabna, Bogra, Dhaka, Narayanganj, Munsiganj and Gazipur from 2014 to April 2018. ECP is expanding its work in other districts.
ECP activities are currently funded through personal and corporate donations and a sponsorship program. ECP-MSS also accesses the MSS Zakat fund and MSS grant for its programs.
ECP-MSS established partnership with fifteen (15) eye hospitals till 2018.
1. Safiuddin Ahmed Foundation Eye Hospital, Thakurgaon
2. Sohitun Nesa Eye Hospital, Narayanganj
3. Prof Matin Memorial BNSB Base Eye Hospital, Sirajganj
4. Wahida & Matin Memoria CSF Eye Hospital, Shantinagar, Dhaka
5. Shahzadpur Eye Hospital, Shahazadpur, Sirajganj
6. Tarash Eye Hospital, Tarash, Sirajganj
7. Bera Eye Hospital, Bera, Pabna
8. Ishwardi Eye Hospital, Ishwardi, Pabna
9. Talimnagar Eye Hospital, Talimnagar, Pabna
10. Gurudashpur Eye Hospital, Gurudashpur, Natore
11. Rajshahi Eye Hospital, Malopara, Rajshahi
12. Naogaon Eye Hospital, Muktir Mor, Naogaon
13. Katrashin Eye Hospital, Shibaloy, Manikganj
14. Bhuapur Eye Hospital, Bhuapur, Tangail
15. Pangsha Eye Hospital, Pangsha, Rajbari
You may donate for capital funds for eye surgery, eye camp, spectacles, medicines, printings awareness material, organizing school sight testing program
if you are interested we will have one of our executives talk to you, or you can visit our website for more information. We are raising funds for cataract surgery and eye camps. You can sponsor a cataract surgery for just BDT 3000 or $35.
We are always looking for new energetic volunteers to join our team. There are many exciting areas to help with, and volunteers are encouraged to get involved in different areas as organizational needs vary throughout the year. Please visit the volunteer section of ECP-MSS website and complete the form with volunteer information. A representative from our Volunteer Resources team will get in touch with you soon.
Manabik Shahajya Sangstha (MSS), equipped with its experience in providing eye care services in Bangladesh is implementing its Eye Care Project (ECP-MSS) with the aim to identify and treat preventable blindness among the underprivileged; to promote community awareness and education on eye health; and to increase capacity and access to eye care services, among others.
MSS is a premier Bangladeshi non-governmental organization formed in 1974 by a group of students of Dhaka Residential Model School and later of the University of Dhaka when the country was hit by a massive flood. MSS started as a relief agency which later reoriented its focus on poverty alleviation through microcredit and development. Currently, MSS programs are integrated and include microcredit, healthcare, childcare, primary education, among others, with the goal to establish a society free from poverty where there is equality among citizens and citizens’ rights and dignity are respected.
Bangladesh has nearly a 750,000 blind people of which 650,000 aged 30 and older are blind due to cataract. Every year 130,000 newly blind people are added. Main causes of blindness are cataract (73.39%), and refractive error (8.87%).
Approximately, 40,000 children are blind – childhood cataract is the leading cause of childhood blindness in Bangladesh. Over 12,000 children are suffering from unnecessary blindness due to un-operated cataract.
Two hundred thousand cataract surgeries are performed annually. There are 900 ophthalmologists in the country. Eighty percent of the visually impaired persons live in rural areas where the treatment facilities are very poor as 90% of the doctors and paramedics are urban-based. The main causes for low cataract surgeries are low public awareness, lack of trained eye personnel, lack of equippe¬d eye facilities and lack of access to eye care services for the economically downtrodden people living in the remote areas.
Typically (and fortunately), most people suffer from eye problems such as cataract or glaucoma, which can be treated effectively. Unfortunately, in many parts of rural Bangladesh, people do not know that this is curable nor do they have the resources available to get proper and timely medical attention. More than 80% of the blindness are curable.
ECP-MSS’s goal is to bring vision 20/20 to the economically disadvantaged people all over Bangladesh who suffer from curable blindness by providing sustainable Eye Care services all over Bangladesh.
ECP-MSS’s strategy involves strengthening and expanding our already outstanding outreach programs to all parts of Bangladesh. ECP intends to establish hospitals and clinics, research and training institutions to enhance the capacity and skills of the eye care personnel.
- 56 camps conducted
- 1519 free surgeries performed
- 23457 screened through the eye camps
- 2819 children screened through the School Sight Testing Program
- 5141 eyeglasses distributed for free to adult & children
- 640 eye drops distributed for free
- Safiuddin Ahmed Foundation Eye Hospital, Thakurgaon
- Sohitun Nesa Eye Hospital, Narayanganj
- Prof Matin Memorial BNSB Base Eye Hospital, Sirajganj
- Wahida & Matin Memoria CSF Eye Hospital, Shantinagar, Dhaka
- Shahzadpur Eye Hospital, Shahazadpur, Sirajganj
- Tarash Eye Hospital, Tarash, Sirajganj
- Bera Eye Hospital, Bera, Pabna
- Ishwardi Eye Hospital, Ishwardi, Pabna
- Talimnagar Eye Hospital, Talimnagar, Pabna
- Gurudashpur Eye Hospital, Gurudashpur, Natore
- Rajshahi Eye Hospital, Malopara, Rajshahi
- Naogaon Eye Hospital, Muktir Mor, Naogaon
- Katrashin Eye Hospital, Shibaloy, Manikganj
- Bhuapur Eye Hospital, Bhuapur, Tangail
- Pangsha Eye Hospital, Pangsha, Rajbari
In 2017 we conducted 27 eye camps.