Relief Riders International (RRI), the award-winning humanitarian based adventure travel company, announces its new "Give the Gift of Sight" campaign. Beginning in 2006, RRI will expedite free cataract eye surgery camps, as part of its on-going medical care efforts in
Rajasthan,
India.
In October 2005, RRI Executive Director Alexander Souri visited one of Dr. V. K. Gupta's eye surgery clinics in the desert village of
Jhunjunu. Dr. Gupta, one of
India's leading eye surgeons, has more than 25 years of experience and has performed over 7000 operations.
While the World Health Organization estimates there are 38 million people in the world who suffer from blindness, an extraordinary 12 million of them live in
India. For two years now, RRI's horse-back trips have combined an extraordinary travel experience with humanitarian missions to
Rajasthan. Because a large segment of the population of
Rajasthan suffers from eye related illnesses, RRI is now poised to bring its
"Give The Gift of Sight" Campaign to hundreds of villagers in its rural areas.
RRI will hold its first Eye Camp at the Primary Health Care Center in
Mehansar,
Rajasthan. RRI and Dr. Gupta will offer eye surgery to a minimum of 100 patients. With Dr. Gupta's expertise, we will provide both medical treatment and surgery, as well as conduct an educational campaign to teach methods of preventing blindness. And it is our hope that we will be able to double these efforts when we launch our
"Give The Gift of Sight" Campaign.
Beginning in December, RRI will be raising money online to support eye surgery. For a contribution of as little as $55, people will be able to
"Give The Gift of Sight" to someone in
Rajasthan.
According to Mr. Souri: "From the very beginning RRI has worked to combine travel with a humanitarian vision. We have brought school supplies and medical care to the population of
Rajasthan. Our relief riders are inspired by the beauty of
Rajasthan. Nothing would make us happier than to give somebody another opportunity to see the land they live in."
For more information please visit
www.ReliefRidersInternational.com or call (413)329-5876.
