RGCT: Building self-dependent SHGs in UP
Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust, or RGCT is a non-governmental organisation working for the betterment of the women of the rural areas of India, especially Uttar Pradesh, providing means for sustainable income and empowering them for better living in the society. The aim of this charitable trust is not to just help them financially, but it is aimed towards the capacity building of these rural women, by providing means to them for efficiently earning for themselves and also contributing to the main stream economy by joining hands with the banks.
The working of this chartable society is through organising the rural women into self-help groups at three hierarchical levels, empowering them with the power of unity to achieve the otherwise impossible or difficult tasks. The three levels for the same are the village level, block level and the district level. By getting organised in SHGs, the women are now able to solve their own problems themselves, and the strength that comes from knowing that they are not alone in this, they are able to live a respectable life with good income and investments. These make the most efficient women SHG groups in UP, creating the young leaders among rural women.
Apart from the organisational help, RGCT also provides special eye care facilities by setting up the network of the best eye care hospitals. Set up by RGCT, Indira Gandhi Eye Hospital and Research Centre (IGEHRC) is the best charitable eye hospital in north India, with the best doctors and other eye-care professionals working towards providing selfless service to the needy people. IGEHRC, along with its three branches and numerous vision centers, provides high quality eye care to approx. 1500 people every single day.
Any hospital that cares for so many patients needs many eye care professionals in many branches of this wide stream. To meet this number, RGCT has also opened its training centers where the people from the villages can get trained in this field, providing them a good paying source of income and their contributions in the hospitals would put the patients closer to their service providers for better communication and a sense of oneness.
One of its branches is located in Sohna, Gurgaon where the high quality eye care is provided for free or a very nominal fees, as per the affordability of the paying patient, and even then the rates for the same are very low. It is a super-speciality research and training based charitable eye hospital in Gurgaon that has made a huge contribution in bringing in the high quality eye care to the common people.
RGCT has brought rural populations closer to each other than ever before and has made substantial efforts to help them stand on their own two feet financially, which has boosted their confidence to do better in the fields that they are working in. Along with the capacity building for sustainable income, RGCT has also provided them with better healthcare services, especially eye care. This innovative models of empowerment of rural populations of India has given RGCT recognition among the most excluded classes of the society, who are now reaping multiple benefits for their efforts by joining hands with RGCT.
