A Noble Cause

August 1, 2015 started differently for the children of Distressed Children & Infants International's (DCI) Sun Child Home orphanage as they greeted Sabina Yasmin, the internationally acclaimed Bangladeshi singer with bright smiles to an eye screening camp in Kallyanpur, Dhaka. 

Distressed Children & Infants International (DCI) is a USA-based non-profit child rights organisation established at Yale University in 2003. DCI protects the rights of children, stops child labor and blindness, and lifts distressed children in developing nations out of poverty and hunger. It aims to achieve this mission by providing life necessities, family support, education, health care and vision care. With the motto of "Children Helping Children", they involve American youth in all their activities and connect them to less fortunate children in other countries. 

While Yasmin, as the chief guest inaugurated the Free Eye Camp, eminent personalities like Prof. AK Azad Khan, President Diabetic Association of Bangladesh,  Dr Muhammad Abdul Mazid, Chief Coordinator, Diabetic Association of Bangladesh, Tasik Ahmed, Vice President, ATN Bangla, Dr Nina Hoque ,Director, DCI, Salma Qadir, Coordinator, DCI Bangladesh were also present in this noble cause. In addition, different officials of DCI and representatives from different media also attended this event. The ceremony was held at the Kallyanpur Health Clinic on Saturday, August 1st at 10:30 am to 1:00 pm.

After having an overview on the activities of DCI's Free Eye Camp, Yasmin paid a visit to the preschool run by DCI for the underprivileged children. After that, she, along with the other guests, went on a short trip around the community of Porabari Slum and talked to many slum dwellers. In her short speech Sabina Yasmin thanked all of the people working arduously for DCI. She specially mentioned the name of Dr Ehsan Hoque, founder and Executive Director of DCI for his contribution and endless support to the underprivileged people of Bangladesh and wished to be with DCI in every possible way in future.

As a part of the DCI's activities, doctors screened 247 children and adult patients and diagnosed 87 patients with eye problems and found cataracts in about 37 patients. Besides screening a large number of people DCI also provided medicine and eye glasses to 70 patients.

– Distressed Children & Infants International