Aussie envoy visits Delhi, offers aid to eye hospital

Extending support to the education of women paramedics and creating employment opportunities, the Australian High Commission, under its Direct Aid Program, today offered an amount of AUD 23000 to Dr Shroff's Charity Eye Hospital in Daryaganj here.
The Direct Aid Program (DAP) is a flexible small grants programme that seeks to facilitate the development and strengthening of weaker communities in both India and Bhutan.
The Australian High Commission here supports small-scale, sustainable development projects in north India and Bhutan, with grants typically up to 10 lakh.
"It's very exciting to be here not only to celebrate girl power and these educational and employment opportunities for these young women, but also to celebrate the work of this hospital," Natasha Stott Despoja, Australia's Ambassador for Women and Girls, said.

"It gives me great pleasure to present some funds from the DAP program from the Australian High Commission in Delhi. I have a cheque for 23000 dollars, which will go towards the building of the computer lab in order to facilitate the training of 50 ophthalmic paramedics," Despoja said.
The hospital, which has been running the training programme for the last two years, received the grant to establish a computer centre that will be used to train 50 young women annually as certified ophthalmic paramedics.

"This is a women's empowerment program. These girls come from the bottom of the pyramid in the economy. Also, we see in our country that in the doctor to paramedics ratio, paramedics are very less. There is a skill deficit," Sunita Arora, Head, Training Paramedics, Dr Shroff's Charity Eye Hospital, said.

"So by joining this course they are able to find an opportunity to do something themselves. They feel this course has given them a direction and a purpose in life," she said.
Despoja arrived at the hospital in a women-driven taxi service Fleur Cabs run by NGO Tanrey.