The Lavelle Fund for the Blind Salutes Two of our Very Prestigious India-based Grantees

 

December 8, 2020

The Lavelle Fund for the Blind salutes two of our very prestigious India-based grantees, Dr. G.N. Rao of L.V. Prasad Eye Institute, and Ravilla Ravindran of Aravind Eye Care System and congratulates them on being among the 13 doctors and researchers to receive the Sanford and Susan Greenberg Prize to End Blindness by 20/20. Award winners were chosen based on the strength of their contributions to eliminate blindness.

Recent coverage of this prestigious award is detailed in this National Geographic article.

As the article states, India has among the highest number of blind people worldwide, but recent initiatives leading to greater access to treatment are having a significant impact. Lavelle Fund for the Blind is very proud to have been small part of that success by being a long-term supporter of both organizations.

The Fund supported the original launch of over one-half of L.V.Prasad’s Vision Centers, which are strategically placed to be within 10 kilometers of more than 11,800 villages. Our continued support is helping to ensure that these Vision Centers are modernized technologically, and upgraded to “futuristic status.”

The Fund has also been a major supporter of the Aravind Eye Care System’s pioneering work in providing free or affordable eye care to people in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The successful “Aravind model” has been replicated in and beyond Southeast Asia with Lavelle Fund support.

Congratulations Dr. Rao and Raveilla Ravindran on this well-deserved recognition!