Madison-based Combat Blindness International (CBI) has been awarded a $75,000 grant from the Madison Community Foundation’s (MCF) Jaya G. Iyer Endowment Fund, according to a press release. This grant will support CBI’s women’s empowerment and workforce development programs, specifically the Certified Ophthalmic Paramedic (COP) Fellowship Program and the Aadya Initiative.
The COP program, led by Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital (SCEH), provides two-year ophthalmic care training to young women in rural India, addressing health care staffing shortages and promoting gender empowerment. The Aadya Initiative trains rural women as vision screeners using mobile technology, enhancing health care accessibility and empowering women through education and financial independence. The grant will support 40 COP fellows in New Delhi and 20 Aadya screeners in Saharanpur, India.
Madison Community Foundation’s Jaya G. Iyer Endowment Fund aligns with CBI’s goals of empowering women and promoting workforce development. Over the past 40 years, CBI has supported eye screenings for over 4.8 million individuals and over 430,000 surgeries worldwide, as well as educating over 850 young women as certified ophthalmic paramedics.
