A village of good Samaritans

Bhimavaram (Andhra Pradesh), Jan 05: They may not be in a position to enjoy the niceties of a good life but they certainly can brighten the lives of other unfortunates.Meet the residents of Bhimavaram village in Andhra Pradesh's Vijayanagaram District, where they have turned good Samaritans by pledging to donate their eyes. Five villagers have already donated the eyes of their expired loved ones, and now the entire village has joined in the noble cause. "We have donated the eyes of our mother who recently died. At first, one family came forward to donate their eyes. Later, rest of them came forward. We all have pledged to donate our eyes. They are making available a pair of eyes, one each to two people, so that two people can see. One worker who is working in my house has also donated his eyes," said A.K. Naidu, a farmer. The hospital authorities who inspired the villagers said they have educated the villagers about the nuances of eye donation and are happy to see their response. "We distributed pledge forms and we had a slight presentation also regarding full details of what is eye donation - what is involved in it, who are involved in it, what is the responsibility of the doctor and the patients involved and also of the local people as a whole. So it was a good success and even after that we got calls from our one or two donors who pledged for their eyes," said Meera Chopra, Doctor, Lions Eye Hospital. India is a country of more than a billion people where millions of disabled live on the fringes of society, struggling to make a living. Government estimates say about two percent of the population have physical or sensory disabilities that include visual, speech, hearing and movement problems. But, volunteers working in the field have put the figure at five to six percent of the population. The Persons With Disabilities Act of 1995 says that India's disabled are entitled to a host of rights that would go a long way in enriching their lives, already harassed by nature's follies. But the government has not been able to provide jobs to those unfortunate sections of the society even after a decade of the Act's passing.