Shah Free Eye & ENT

The History of "Shah Free Eye & E.N.T. Camp" starts with the mother organization the "Shree Jain Youth League" under whose banner the camp is held. Shree Jain Youth League was founded by Oshwals in the year 1941. The first chairman was the late Mr. Devshi Mepa Shah M.B.E. The league's aim and objective was to provide welfare services for the poor. To raise funds, the league launched a lottery which was sold throughout East Africa. The proceeds of the lottery were used for various charitable purposes.

The first project undertaken by the league was to provide the cost of running a block of rooms at Thika District Hospital for many years. Other Institutions that have benefited from the league's activities are a girls hostel in Nairobi, The M.P. Shah hospital and Joytown Primary School for the disabled.

As time went it became apparent that the incidence of blindness was high in the country. An idea of organising an Eye Camp originated and the first task was started by Mr. R.N. Shah, Mr. Mohanbhai D. Shah, Mr. R.L. Shah, Late Chuni Malde, Late Mr. K.J. Shah and few other members. A Committee was formed and the Chairman was Mr. R.N. Shah the convenor Mr. C.D. Malde, Mr. R.D. Dhanani the secretray and Mr. Mohanbhai D. Shah was in charge of Finance. The other Committee Members were Mr. R.L. Shah, Mr. P.L.Dodhia and late Mr. K.J. Shah.

It was decided to have the camp under the banner of Visa Oshwal Community of Kenya. Mr. Mohanbhai D. Shah and Mr. R.L. Shah made all the efforts to raise funds for the project. Finally it was decided to organize the first camp and the committee made a bold decision that if the funds collected for the Project fell short then the individual committee members will share the short fall. The committee started the mammoth task of organizing for the doctors, medicines, instruments, food, accommodation, volunteers etc. They also visited Mangu High School decided to have the first camp there as previous two camps were held there by the Lions Club of Thika.

The committee decided to contact all the Oshwal Centres in Kenya to help them organize screening in the towns and send the operative cases to Mangu High School, Thika whereby all facilities will be provided free of charge that is transport to and for, accommodation, food, medicine e.t.c. It was decided to have the camp in the month of April because of school holidays, but choosing the month of April had its pros and cons. It is a month of heavy long rains and that means the road to Mangu being impassable. Late Mr. Zaverchand Kachra worked hard to prepare the road with a generous donation of quarry waste and concrete by M.R. Shah construction.

One of our elders the late Mr. Jethabhai led other elders namely Late Mr. Meghji Kumbha, Late Keshavlal Ladha and Late Mr. Virpal Lakhamshi in joining hands with the committee to help in voluntary work at the camp. Many Thika ladies and young Oshwals joined in to give their voluntary services to the Camp.

Dr. Somchand K. Savla was contacted in India and he led a team of four doctors and two nurses to give their voluntary services to the camp and since then Dr. Somchand K. Savla has led the team of doctors for the past 30 years. Screening of patients was done in Nairobi, Nanyuki, Meru, Kisumu, Embu, Eldoret, Kitale, Kajiado, Muranga, Nakuru and Thika with the help of the respective Visa Oshwal Centres. After the first camp was over, an Oshwal Seminar was held in Thika to discuss the future of Shah Free Eye Camp. After a lot of discussion it was decided to take this project under the banner of Shree Jain Youth League.

The entire camp is run on voluntary services. Everybody big or small is involved in the activities of the camp, doctors, pharmacy, theatre, office nurses, looking after the out patients, kitchen etc. the venue from a school is changed into a hospital for 2 weeks. Doctors and opticians come from India, U.K. and work together with the local medics. All the services, screening operations, medicine, spectacles, accommodation and transport for inpatients provided to the patients are free of charge.

Initially only operations were done on eye ailments of Cataracts, Entrpian, Pterigium, Glaucoma Chalazion, Squint, Tridectomy, Foreign body spilation, Sac-excision and others. As the screening increased, patients in need for spectacles increased. During the 12th camp we introduced the facility of eye refraction and reading glasses were dispensed. One other common ailment was Ear, Nose and Throat. The need to help people with ear ailments was prominent. In 1992, together with eye camp we held the first E.N.T. camp. And now the name changed to Shah Free Eye and E.N.T. camp. Today we are proud to say that we have carried out 30 Shah Free Eye and E.N.T. camps.

The statistics for screening, operations etc. during the last 30 camps are as follows:

The number of Eye patients screened   265,573
     
The number of Eye operations done   13,019
     
The number of patients screened for E.N.T.   74,026
     
The number of Ear & Nose operations done   3,879
     
The number of reading glasses issued
   69,586
     
The number of hearing aids issued   207

The figures speak for the success of the camp. Shree Jain Youth League, Thika is indebted to all the past chairmen, Committee Members and all the members who have contributed toward to the growth and success of the league. It is through their guidance, foresight and hardwork that Shree Jain Youth Leage, Thika has been able to do such magnificent charitable and noble work year after year and thus celebrating this Mammoth Humanitarian and Noble Project.

It has always been in the heart of the Oshwals to donate towards a worthy cause. The year 1991 saw towards the first sponsorship of the Camp by R. Raja and Sons were the sponsors of the 11th and 12th camps. They led the way to other sponsorships. Now we have sponsorship for the full cost of the camp upto the year 2018.

LIST OF PAST AND FUTURE CAMPS SPONSORS
   
YEAR   SPONSOR
     
1990 - 1991   R. Raja & Sons
     
1992   Virchandbhai Devchand Shah - Belfast Millers - Nairobi
     
1993   Kantilal Jivraj Meghji of UK
     
1994   Bhagwanji Hemraj of Jaydees - Nairobi
     
1995   Ratilalbhai & Dharamshibhai of Nairobi Flour Millers
     
1996   Walkers Party of Nairobi
     
1997   Zaverchand Virpar Shah of UK
     
1998   Narshi Punja and Family of United Millers Kisumu
     
1999 - 2000   Families of Khetshi Dharamshi Shah, Mohanlal Devraj Karania & Devchand Punia Patani
     
2001   Mohanlal Dharamshi Shah of Shah Kanji Ladha - Thika
     
2002   Ratilal Champshi Shah in loving memory of his brother Prabhulal Champshi Shah - Nairobi
     
2003   Late Kalidas Depar Shah & Family of U.K.
     
2004   Family of Devchand Jivraj Shah - Nairobi
     
2005   Family of the late Meghji Devraj Shah of Five Continents Travel Ltd
     
2006   Manoj Shah of Osho Chemicals
     
2007   Atul Shah of Nakumatt Holdings Ltd
     
2008   Depar Nongha Savla Parivar
(Kachra Depar, Kalidas Depar & Rupa Depar Parivar)
     
2009   Ashvin Shah of Cosmo Plastics - Nairobi
     
2010   Dilesh Somchand Bid of BTB Insurance Agencies Ltd. - Nairobi
     
2011   Ashok & Chuni Rupshi Shah  of Abacus Pharmaceuticals
     
2012   Dhiru Vidhu Padamshi - ( D.V.S. Properties - U.K.)
     
2013   Meehir & Rajan Shah -In memory of Kanchanben & Devchand Punja Hira Shah
     
2014   Dhiraj Devan Dodhia - Premier Knitwear, Nairobi.
     
2015   Gosrani Parivar of Eldoret
     
2016   Nairobi Oshwal Complex Morning Swimmers & Tennis players
     
2017   Friend of Mr. Dhiru Vidhu Padamshi ( D.V.S. Properties - U.K.)
     
2018   Ashut Engineering Ltd