Himalayan Cataract Project

The Himalayan Cataract Project (HCP) seeks to restore eyesight of everyone who need it, regardless of their financial situation and provide high quality pre- and post- surgery care. It aims to set up world-class eye care infrastructure in the Himalaya and to create a sustainable system for eye care delivery by teaching local doctors to provide modern, high-quality ophthalmic care, at the lowest possible cost ($20). The project was initiated by ophthalmologists Dr. Sanduk Ruit and Dr. Geoff Tabin. Their service and dedication have brought them a number of humanitarian awards including the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Peace and International Understanding.

The project is committed to provide and sustain a diverse range of eye care facilities - Community Eye Centers (CECs) in rural areas to ensure care for the poorest and most difficult to reach patients, Community Eye Hospitals for surgical facilities and Specialty Eye Hospitals. HCP supports eight CECs in Nepal, three Community Eye Hospitals in northern India, Nepal and Tibet and a Specialty Eye Hospital in Nepal (Tilganga Eye Centre) and has established a lens factory in Nepal, capable of manufacturing high quality lenses at low cost. It also strives to build capacity of eye care staff at all levels through a full range of ophthalmic education. It provides intensive training to surgeons, nurses, field staff and community leaders. The project has restored sight to over 200,000 patients in the Himalayas and sub-Saharan Africa and has recently ventured into North Korea.

Clean Himalaya Project

The Clean Himalaya Project aims to preserve the beauty and holiness of the river Ganges and the Himalayas. The focus of the project is to develop a comprehensive waste management program including recycling dry waste, vermi-composting organic waste and serve as a model for other communities to replicate. Started by a few disciples of the American spiritual leader Andrew Cohen, the project went on to become a winner of World Bank - India Development Marketplace 2007 Award for grassroots initiatives for Management and protection of Natural Resources.

In the Central Himalayan region - Muni-ki-Reti, Tapovan and Laxman-jhula area in Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand, India, are holy pilgrimage for the Hindus, facing difficulty to cope with the increasing tourist inflow, unplanned development and other factors. Began by picking up plastic bottles on the roadside, the project now includes daily organic and non-organic garbage collections, segregating them into recyclable and non-recyclable waste and take actions, providing free public services including special cleanliness drives and environmental education.