THE BACKGROUND:
In the world of little eyes, a hidden struggle unfolds: pediatric cataracts, an often-overlooked threat stealing away the gift of sight!
Pediatric (i.e., for children) cataract stand as a leading cause of childhood blindness. Many are unaware that children can also be affected by cataracts, which can result from genetic defects, infections in the mother during pregnancy, or post-birth eye injuries.
Left untreated, pediatric cataracts lead to blindness, causing profound emotional distress to both the child and the family. Fortunately, early identification and appropriate management can address this issue.
THE INITIATIVE:
Usha Kiran Hospital, situated in Mysore, undertakes these surgeries free of charge for rural residents across Karnataka. The cost per surgery is a modest INR 25,000, ensuring that a child avoids blindness and retains a lifetime of sight.
Through this crowdfunding campaign, the goal is to raise INR 12,500 or more to partially or fully fund a surgery. The more funds collected, the greater the number of children who can benefit. It is encouraged to continue supporting this campaign even after surpassing the initial goal.
All funds raised will be utilized to provide cataract surgeries for children in various rural locations across Karnataka, including Raichur, Koppal, Vijayapura, Bellary, Gadag, Mandya, Mysore, Bagalkot, etc.
THE IMPACT YOU CAN MAKE:
IF YOU FUND,
INR 12500, you part-fund a surgery.
INR 25000, you impact one child.
INR 50000, you impact 2 children.
All funding has 80G tax benefits.
ABOUT ME:
My name is SAMA SHOUKATH KHAN . I am 15-years-old and a Grade 10 student at Delhi Public School, Mysore.
Pediatric cataract is a leading cause of childhood blindness. I did not know that. I really cannot imagine what it is to go blind at a very young age. That sounds terrible and traumatic.
Luckily it can be treated. However, those in villages and from low-income homes often cannot afford surgery or do not realize that their child has a problem. The folks at USHA KIRAN (the NGO and Hospital) regularly do eye camps to identify this problem. The fact that an amount of just INR 25000 can make a dramatic difference in the life of someone and give them back their sight made me realize that I must do something to help.
Surgery for cataracts does not just restore the vision of a child but gives them a fresh lease on life. Through this campaign, I aim to raise INR 12500 or more.
I strongly believe that we can help those who are needy and in the process, transform their lives. Please support my campaign and let us together bring light into the lives of these children. I would like to raise much more than my goal and help more children see again. The Gift of Sight is the Gift of Life truly.
CAMPS BEING CONDUCTED AT SCHOOLS:
BENEFICIARIES ARE ACROSS KARNATAKA:
ABOUT THE HOSPITAL:
USHA KIRAN CHARITABLE TRUST (R) is based out of Mysore, Karnataka, and has been impacting and improving lives for 24 years now. Our focus is on childhood blindness, which includes cataracts at birth or young age, Traumatic cataracts, Squinting, droopy lids, Tear sac blocks at birth, rarely high eye pressure resulting in glaucoma in childhood, and Life-threatening Retinal tumors.
In the last 14-plus years, we have screened over 450,000 children through children's vision screening programs, provided over 12,000 spectacles, and done over 750 major eye surgeries (all under general anesthesia) through outreach work as well as in-house work. These surgeries for tiny kids mean lots of expenses for consumables for eye surgery, anesthesia, safety, hospitalization, post-operative medications, post-surgery care, and the professional fees of anesthetists, eye surgeons, etc.
TAX BENEFITS:
Funding for this campaign is eligible for tax breaks as USHA KIRAN HOSPITAL is a registered NGO and you can avail of benefits under section 80G of the IT Act.
FEEDBACK:
To ensure that there is complete transparency, I shall get a report from the NGO (this takes between 2 to 4 months, usually after the funds are raised and transferred to them) telling me who benefitted from the funding. The details will then be posted on the UPDATES section of my campaign. As soon as I post an update, the platform will send an EMAIL alert to all the funders - i.e. to you. Click on the link on the email and you can read about who benefitted. That's transparent, right?
The below image is an example of the FEEDBACK FORMAT that we will share with all my funders.
FAQs
Will we get to know the details of who benefitted?
Yes. After the money has been collected it will be transferred by Fueladream to USHA KIRAN HOSPITAL.They will update you on the details of how the money was spent as soon as possible. Once we get this information we shall upload a report on the UPDATES section of this campaign. You will then get an alert and can read details about where the money is being spent.
When do I get the receipts?
The receipts will start getting processed about 4 to 6 weeks AFTER the campaign is closed and will be sent to you directly.
How can we fund this campaign with a Cheque?
Fueladream Online Ventures Pvt Ltd account details are as below:
BANK NAME: HDFC Bank Limited.
BRANCH: Koramangala( Main Branch). City: Bengaluru - 560095.
ACCOUNT NUMBER: 50200013106778
IFSC CODE: HDFC0000053
Please draw a cheque in favor of "Fueladream Online Ventures Pvt Ltd", and deposit the cheque into the Fueladream Online Ventures Pvt Ltd HDFC Bank account (any branch across INDIA). After you deposit the cheque, please send an email to prasad@fueladream.com AND getintouch@fueladream.com with the following funder information.
1) Name of Funder:
2) Full address with Pin code:
3) Telephone/Mobile no and Email ID:
4) PAN of funder:
5) Cheque number:
6) Amount funded:
7) Whose campaign are you funding. (Name of the person OR campaign number/ID):
After the funds are received and the above details are verified, the fund amount will be transferred to the respective campaign. This can take from 1-3 working days.
How does crowdfunding work?
Crowdfunding in India is a relatively new concept and is growing very quickly.
It’s a concept that allows a large number of funders (like you) to fund an idea or a cause or event by giving small amounts of money online. Fueladream.com is a crowdfunding platform in India that allows for such pooling of funds. You can fund innovations and ideas on FuelADream and be the first to get these products or make them come true. You can also do a good turn by funding charities and causes through crowdfunding.