Storyteller Series: Ahmedabad, India

There are 1.1 billion people worldwide that have a vision issue, but lack access to eye care or a pair of glasses.

Onesight is on a mission to change that, bringing an eye exam and pair of glasses to every single person who lacks it. Their solution to this endemic problem is two-fold: charitable clinics that provide free vision care to individuals with immediate needs, and sustainable vision centers that provide permanent access to vision care, inadvertently uplifting entire communities in need.

I had the opportunity to experience OneSight’s work for myself while traveling with them to one of their global charitable clinics in Ahmedabad, India. With my camera in hand and notebook in tow, I was asked to spend my time onsite gaining an understanding of the local vision care need while capturing content to bring the story to life. Our goal was to create a simplified and compelling story that told of the greater vision care gap worldwide by painting a picture through the lens of patients and locals.

I arrived at the clinic bright-eyed and eager to talk to everyone there, uncovering what I thought would be dozens of heartwarming, riveting stories. My eagerness quickly turned to anxiousness when I realized one glaring problem: language barriers.

There were translators onsite, but understanding the emotions and rawness of the locals through a series of translations was challenging. On top of that, I struggled with how to ask some of the locals about the challenges they face in fear that they would feel ashamed or embarrassed as they looked into the eyes of someone raised in entirely different circumstances, likely much more privileged than their own.

Aggravated by my inability to communicate and connect in all the ways I had imagined in my head, I sat in my room the first few nights stumped by what I was up against. A few days into the clinic, I realized that the stories I was looking for were right in front of me. I just had to take a moment to see them for what they were and remember that the most riveting stories of all are ones of shared human experience. After two weeks in the bustling city of Ahmedabad, this is the story that I felt I should tell:

A mix of spices, exhaust, and dust filled the city’s air as tuk tuks, cattle, and vendors roamed about. Our two-week journey took place deep in the vibrant colors & chaos of Ahmedabad, India: a massive city made up of over 5.5 million people. Of that number, 34% live in slums or chawls. In fact, Ahmedabad is home to nearly 700 different slum settlements. Conditions in these areas of the city are challenging. Some homes have electricity and running water, but others do not. Income levels within the slums are low to non-existent, making it difficult for families to afford food, clean water, and their most essential needs. While the government works to address the competing needs of those living in these areas, affordable access to healthcare - including vision care - can be scarce. 

There are many reasons why access to vision care is out of reach for the lower class. Either it’s too expensive, or the providers who are within reach financially offer substandard care. Just getting to see a vision care provider also plays a factor, as traveling around the city requires a vehicle, money for transport, or a very long walk. OneSight traveled to Ahmedabad to help address some of these issues. A team of more than 50 volunteers spent two weeks tirelessly serving over 5,000 locals in a mere 10 days of clinic work. They joined forces with Manav Sadhna - a local organization that helped to pre-screen patients, gather translators and set up the clinic site. While OneSight’s charitable efforts in Ahmedabad came to a close at the end of our clinic, Manav Sadhna’s efforts to “love all, serve all” still continue on in the day-to-day.

As I made my way around the clinic with my camera in tow, I was taken back by the expressions on the faces of our patients. Many of these people live in conditions unfathomable from my own, and yet nearly every individual who walked through our doors exuded joy. Happiness. Gratitude. They reminded me that joy and fulfillment can be found in the little things in life, even amid the most challenging of places.

While this clinic may not have changed every patient’s life, our patients sure changed mine.

Interested in learning more about our Experiential Storytelling offerings? Explore our past experiences.