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Tag: history
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Eye Foundation of America: Dedicated to elimination of avoidable blindness in children worldwide
Prof. Indrajit Saluja Eye Foundation of America is dedicated to the elimination of avoidable blindness in children worldwide, and, in India. Dr. VK Raju, an internationally reputed ophthalmologist, is founder and president of the Eye Foundation of America.
Late Arthur J Pais, a senior journalist with India Abroad recorded his impressions of Dr. VK Raju in the publication’s August 21, 2009, edition which I have always rated as one of the best profiles I have ever read. I am tempted to quote from it.
. VK Raju, an internationally reputed ophthalmologist, is founder and president of the Eye Foundation of America “Dr. VK Raju has received many honors for his humanitarian work in saving the eyes of the poor not only in India but in half a dozen countries from Iraq to America, but the emotions he felt for Srinu Maddula, who earned his Doctorate in Pharmaceutical studies from Rutgers University in 2009 and began working for a major company, and who presented his first pay check to the Eye Foundation of America that Raju started in 1979, was transcendent.
Srinu Maddula with mother It was in 1979 that Maddula had corneal transplants to both eyes, at the age of 2. His family had travelled to Morgantown, West Virginia, Raju’s home for more than three decades (now four decades). The surgery was free and most of the other expenses were borne by Raju. Now, it was time for Maddula to pay him back.
“You feel blessed when something like that happens”, he said, referring to Maddula’s gesture. “
Maddula who is the poster boy of the Eye Foundation is deeply attached to Dr. Raju and the Foundation. He is now actively involved as one of the EFA Board members and is a regular and generous donor
EFA began its work in 1979 in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. EFA grew out of his earlier work providing services and treatment near his birthplace in Rajahmundry, a town in Southeast India’s Andhra Pradesh. Raju organized teams to go to remote areas and deliver eye care in areas where there otherwise were none. These traveling clinics were known as “eye camps.” (Eye camps remain a standard part of the Foundation’s services today.)
Raju dedicated virtually all the spare time he had outside his busy ophthalmological practice in West Virginia and used his own funds to cover many of the expenses. Eventually it became apparent that the lack of accessible, affordable eye care was very large and shared by an enormous number of people worldwide. In order to battle avoidable blindness on a global scale and to gain strength by partnering with other organizations, Raju created the 501 © 3 nonprofit organization that we know today as the Eye Foundation of America.
Today, Foundation has grown far beyond its original size and scope but never outgrew the vision of its founder, who continues to look ahead. EFA has built modern eye hospitals and trained ophthalmic assistants and other personnel to carry on our work. We provide workshops and fellowships for physicians and medical students throughout the world. We also conduct research to find better ways of preventing blindness, to learn how to distribute Vitamin A efficiently
Dr. VK Raju speaking at Rotary Club of Calcutta Centennial Celebrations in Kolkata, Jan 1, 2020 His team has done wonders, considering the tremendous work done by them.
* 2.5 million+ outpatients
* 350 thousand+ eye surgeries
* 30 thousand+ on children
This is completed by the Eye Foundation of America team since 1977 in India and 21 other developing countries. Additionally, the Eye Foundation of America lays great emphasis on teaching and training of health professionals who receive the Foundation’s support at every level.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are as many as 1.4 million blind children worldwide who are affected. WHO reports that eighty percent of the world’s 45 million blind people live in developing countries. The Eye Foundation of America’s (EFA) mission is to go where the need is greatest — often rural and remote areas of developing countries where there is no medical care or where the cost of the care is prohibitive.
EFA provides medical eye care and treatment that is both affordable and accessible to all on equal terms, with the goal of eliminating avoidable blindness, especially in children. They take extra steps to ensure that our treatment is of the highest quality–comparable to that provided by the best hospitals in the world. EFA also delivers that care in ways that maintain each patient’s self-respect and dignity.
EFA has treated Native Americans, wounded refugees in war-torn Afghanistan and Iraq, and have built eye hospitals in India–one with a wing devoted exclusively to children. They work in more than 14 countries and plan to extend that reach in the years ahead.
Although the Eye Foundation of America serves people of all ages, they have a special place in their heart for children because it is they who have the most to lose. Visually impaired or blind children grow up without the same advantages as sighted children. Unable to read and write, they often cannot support themselves as adults and become a burden on their families and communities.
The Eye Foundation of America’s Goutami Eye Institute in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh sponsors a free 6-month certificate program that trains local young men and women to become ophthalmic assistants. They pay them a living stipend during training and often hire graduates to staff hospitals. The career training helps them support themselves in places where jobs are difficult to find. Eighty percent of the graduates come from poor families.
Eye Foundation of America’s Goutami Eye Institute in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh conducts workshops and other programs to teach its staff about new medical techniques and equipment The Goutami Eye Institute conducts workshops and other programs to teach its staff about new medical techniques and equipment. This program has been expanded to include physicians and medical practitioners from all over the world. Some workshops provide Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits. Fellowships available through Goutami Institute allow postgraduate physicians from India to further their education.
The commitment of Goutami towards training and education in eye care is spread across medical and non-medical spheres. Long-term fellowships for young post-graduates and Short-term fellowships and observer ship for practicing ophthalmologists and periodic Continuing Medical Education programs with eminent national and international faculty are available for medical fraternity.
Training of Key Informants, like teachers, medical practitioners, primary health care workers, etc., in identifying and referring people, especially of children, with eye problems is done periodically.
Education of community on avoidable causes of blindness and visual impairment is undertaken in the form of patient information series on different eye aliments and through health talks.
It is to achieve this end that Dr. Raju, in collaboration with his daughter, Dr. Leela Raju, authored a book “Musings on Medicine, Myth, and History – India’s Legacy”. It is a masterpiece to be read by everyone who would like to know hoe medicine and surgery came out of India.
An avid reader and a writer, Dr. Raju has authored dozens of articles and also written books, the first being “Musings on Medicine, Myth and History- India’s Legacy”. For his monumental work, Dr. VK Raju has been profusely recognized, honored and awarded. The latest recognition came his way early this year when he was admitted to Toledo University Global Medical Missions Hall of Fame for his efforts to eradicate blindness.
Dr. Raju has traveled round the world, attending conferences and meetings; speaking at various national and international meets; interacting with great minds to find solutions to the problems of health, particularly blindness among children. Most of his time is spent in traveling.
He is a keen student of history and admires the great historian Padma Bhushan Dr. Romila Thapar who he recently visited in Delhi and interacted with her on many issues of mutual interest.
Dr. Raju, a keen student of history, with the legendary historian Padma Bhushan Dr. Romila Thapar on one of his visits to Delhi At the speed and the zeal, with which Dr. Raju is working to fulfil his mission of life to eradicate preventable blindness among children, it can be expected that he will set up more medical facilities, apart from the Goutami Hospital he is running at Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh, India. Of course, he alone cannot do it. He will need cooperation of government of India and people. Government of India could play a contributory role by providing certain facilities to set up such medical centers. And people can contribute their bit by donating liberally to a humanitarian effort of great significance. I learn, Dr. Raju is already working on a plan to have a series of medical facilities in various States of India. It will be worthy of all lovers of humanity to chip in to support a historic mission of The Eye Foundation of America.
The Eye Foundation of America Team. The Eye Foundation of America Team consists of extremely dedicated people who are totally passionate about the cause that Dr. Raju has espoused of preventing avoidable blindness among children of the world.
(The author is chief editor of the weekly English newspaper ‘The Indian Panorama’)
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Five Worst Dictators in the last 100 years- We Are The People Report
Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina tops the list
NEW YORK (TIP): We Are The People (WRTP) is a human and civil rights organization based in New York, USA. The Organization focuses on immigrant population from all over the world, especially, those from South Asian community.
WRTP focused an investigation in to persecution of people in the countries around the world. On May 30th, 2018, WRTP Press Secretary Prima Rabbany released a report “FIVE WORST DICTATORS IN THE WORLD IN HUNDRED YEARS”. Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh tops the list.The Indian Panorama is placing the unedited report in the hands of readers with the request to send in their comments for publication.
Five Worst Dictators in the Last 100 Years Declared by WRTP
On May 30th, 2018, New York USA based Human & Civil Right Organization WRTP (We Are the People) named 5 Worst Dictators in the world in the past 100 years. In order to select these dictators, WRTP created a panel of three a year ago:
- Jilani Warsi: a former professor at HARVARD UNIVERSITY and four-time gold medal recipient: Chairman
- John P. DeMaio, Esq: An Attorney at Law, Former Clerk of a Justice of Supreme Court: Member
- David Korngold, Esq: An Attorney at Law, Former Assistant District Attorney: Member
For the past year, this panel worked tirelessly to compile this list of five worst dictators. Primarily, they selected 25 Worst Dictators based on their personal lives including education, how they were elected as chief executive of a state, their governing style, their success and failure in governing, crime statistics during their regime, their country’s judicial system, their kindness and brutality on their own people including those who opposed their rule, development of their country and the beneficiaries of the development, etc. Later, they conducted hundreds of interviews of educators, journalists, historians and literates from the countries where those dictators reigned. After the results were tabulated, this panel debated among themselves and selected five worst dictators of the world in the last one hundred years.
The following are the five worst dictators in the last 100 years
- SHEIKH HASINA:(2009 – PRESENT) BANGLADESH
Sheikh Hasina is the daughter of Bangladesh’s first dictator, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Even though Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was the leader at the time of the liberation war of Bangladesh, under his regime, hundreds of thousands of people died in abject poverty and tens of thousands of people were brutally murdered, especially, those who opposed his rule. In 1975, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated. The entire country celebrated the departure of a dictator. In 2009, the daughter of former dictator, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Sheikh Hasina took power as Prime Minister with the blessings of our mighty neighbor India and Bangladesh Army – which was intimidated by India as Bangladesh is surrounded by them on three sides. In 2008, the Indian-supported regime held an election in which intimidation, kidnapping opposition, killing leaders and opposition workers, hijacking ballot boxes and random rigging were prevalent. Through all of these massive brutalities and irregularities, in 2009, Sheikh Hasina became the Prime Minister. As soon as she became the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, she began killing leaders, workers and supporters of all opposition political parties and their affiliates. Tens of thousands of Bangladeshi citizens were killed like animals. Since her father was assassinated by a small group of Bangladesh army soldiers, she used Indian help to take revenge to kill hundreds of senior officers of Bangladesh Army since India did not like the existence of a well-disciplined Bangladesh Army. Bangladesh became a killing field as dead bodies began floating in the lakes, ponds and rivers. Scores of dissidents were kidnapped and murdered, and their relatives were made constant targets of the government. Sheikh Hasina became the inventor of extra judicial killing. She also ordered her goons and armed mercenaries to remove two chief justices in a row and throw them out of the country. Press is tightly controlled by her armed cadre. Most of the financial institutions are on the verge of collapse, as her own son stole almost a billion dollars by hacking the computers of Bangladesh Central Bank. Under her rule, Bangladesh has become a modern MAFIA land, where breaking a law is the law and killing opposition or a citizen has become a source of getting affluent.
Just to prolong her regime and consolidate her absolute power, she signed hundreds of agreements with India which are not beneficial for Bangladesh. There is a significant sign that Sheikh Hasina will be the second head of the state after Kazi Lhendup Dorjee,who destroyed her country first and then handed it over to India for her greed of power and wealth.
2. SAMUEL DOE: (1980-1990) LIBERIA
In 1980, a Master Sergeant named Samuel Doe took over the presidency of Liberia after staging a small military coup as none of Liberian Military were involved with that coup d’état. He was supported by the President of the United States of America, President Ronald Reagan. As soon as he was endorsed by the American government, he killed all the senior officers of Armed Force services of Liberia and all political leaders, workers and supporters who did not support his regime. During his time, even though almost all of the financial institutions collapsed, he and his family members became the wealthiest among Africans. He sacked all justices and replaced them with military personnel those who were from other ranks. He was signing agreement one after another with different countries which were not beneficial to Liberia. In 1990, citizens of Liberia had had enough. Poverty and hunger went up to a level that the citizens of Liberia took to the streets and later dragged him out of his palace and mutilated his body before brutally killing him.
3. RAFAEL TRUJILLO: (1930 – 1961) DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Rafael Trujillo was president of the Dominican Republic from February 1930 until his assassination in May 1961. His 31 years of rule is called the Trujillo Era by Dominicans, the bloodiest era ever in the Americas. During his presidency, he murdered innocent civilians, men, women, and children, and the most heinous carnage was the infamous Parsley Massacre. He started killing tens of thousands of Haitians, falsely accusing them of harboring his former Dominican opponents. When Lescot becomes president of Haiti, Trujillo expected him to be his puppet, but Lescot turned against him. Furious about Lescot’s defiance and refusal to comply, Trujillo tried to assassinate him in 1941 unsuccessfully. He also tried to kill one of his staunch opponents, Betancourt, on June 24, 1960, by planting a bomb in Betancourt’s car, but Betancourt survive the bomb attack. Trujillo killed anyone who spoke against him, and this included three Mirabal sisters, Patria, Maria, and Minerva. He brutally murdered them on Friday, November 25, 1960. His ruthless killing of his opponents met with severe criticism, and the Dominican people became restless and indignant. The United States of America also gradually withdrew its support of Trujillo.
Soon after that, on Tuesday, May 30, 1961, when Trujillo was traveling in his blue 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air, he was ambushed and killed by a number of men. Even after his assassination, the killing of the Dominicans did not stop. The Trujillo family avenged his assassination by hunting down the members of the plot, captured most of them, and executed all of them methodically.
4. JOSEPH ESTRADA: (1998-2000)
An actor turned politician. Estrada became a mayor, then a senator, and then vice president under President Fidel Ramos. In an unstable political atmosphere, almost everyone knew that he was America’s Man in the Philippines. He ran for presidency and won the election in 2000. He won the election with American blessing. As soon as he won, he wanted to impress Americans by ordering the military to kill every Muslim in the country under the false pretext of “War against Terror.” He began an “all-out-war” against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and captured its headquarters and several other camps. Thousands of innocent men, women and children were killed in his so-called war against terror. He became filthy rich as his people started looting and confiscating Muslims properties, including land. He started imprisoning opposition political leaders, workers and supporters who opposed his policies. Day by day, he became increasingly corrupt as almost all financial institutions collapsed. Unemployment, recession and corruption by the president himself, brought the presidency of Joseph Estrada to an abrupt end. In 2007, Estrada was sentenced to a lifetime in prison for embezzling $80 million from the government. He was given clemency by President Arroyo and ran for president in the 2010 presidential election, but he was defeated by his opponent by a landslide margin.
5. NGUYEN CAO KY: (1965-1967) SOUTH VIETNAM
In 1965, America found the right ally in Nguyen Cao Ky of South Vietnam. He was Major General of South Vietnam Air Force. He was so ambitious that he was willing to give up his nation in exchange for power. He was helping Americans to prepare a plan to kill the Vietnamese. He allowed Americans to take out Vietnamese natural resources and assets. Under his rule, citizens did not have freedom of speech. He was controlling the press with his iron fist. He enlisted South Vietnamese by force and forced them to work for the Americans. Thousands of Vietnamese died under his rule. He was reported to have said, “If someone asks me who my hero is, I say: Hitler.” But at one point, the Americans found a better option in General NguyễnVănThiệu. The Americans forced Nguyen Cao Ky to work under Nguyen Van Thieu, once his lieutenant. Americans gave him valor and other honor but deposed him as soon he became America’s burden.
After North Vietnam defeated South Vietnam, it was impossible for him to stay in Vietnam. Nguyen Cao Ky fled to the United States of America on April 30, 1975 and settled in Westminster, California. He died on July 30, 2011 at a hospital in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he was being treated for respiratory complications.
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Frisco Native American Museum & Natural History Center
By Surinder Dhillon In the museum there are many displays which show the way of life for Native Americans. Displays like; art work, pictures of animals, weapon and combat, natives and food, dresses, police and peace medals, pottery, code talkers, weaving, canoes and kayaks and much more. There is a gift shop in the museum which is called, Now Natural History Center. It features work from over 30 Native American artists and from where you can buy unique handmade crafts. They ship all over the world. There is a natural trail in the facility too.
Frisco Native American Museum & History Center is a nonprofit educational foundation created for the purpose of preserving Native American artifacts, art, culture, and language.
It can also teach people about native perspective and how to treat the Earth, said MS Ronnie Francisco, Assistant director of the museum. This Museum is located on Hatters Island on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
When you enter the museum, the message is on the wall in the shape of a poster entitled “The Earth on Turtle’s Back”. Many Native Americans refer to North America as Turtle Island,which comes from the belief that all of the Earth was water until a largeturtle emerged to support plant and animal life on its back. This teaching tells us, “where Turtle goes, there is life and water is precious”. Since we are dependent upon the earth, we must treat our ‘Island’ home with respect and honor all of the beings in the natural world. As you walk among the exhibits, look for teachings from “Turtle Island “indicated by the turtle symbol.
According to MS Ronnie, the museum had its beginning over seventy years ago. It started in the heart of museum founder, Carl Bornfriend,when he was just a young boy. When many people did not realize the importance of preserving native artifacts, Carl frequently saw beautiful items carelessly treated. Though his own resources were limited, he often made sacrifices to become a keeper of the heritage. When Carl moved to Hatters Island he met Joyce and they discovered a mutual love for historical preservation. They married in 1986, and they brought more than a half century of experience as educators to the task of creating the museum, MS Ronnie said. Carl was a full-time teacher; but, he used every spare moment developing exhibits. He opened the museum in 1987 as a non-profit educational foundation.MS Amber Roth of the museum said, “We have a lot of visitors that say we have a completely different feel. Instead of it being a very sterile, far away from you feel, the culture feels more alive.
When you are here, you can reach out and feel that you are being embraced with it and from it. Rather than it just being distancing over here and not really there anymore.We bring more culture to life.”In the museum there are many displays which show the way of life for Native Americans. Displays like; art work, pictures of animals, weapon and combat, natives and food, dresses, police and peace medals, pottery, code talkers, weaving, canoes and kayaks and much more. There is a gift shop in the museum which is called, Now Natural History Center. It features work from over 30 Native American artists and from where you can buy unique handmade crafts. They ship all over the world. There is a natural trail in the facility too.
The earlier inhabitants of the North Carolina Outer Banks were Hatters Indians tribe of Native Americans.
(The author is Chesapeake VA based journalist. He can be reached at sdhillon@hotmail.com)