This World Literacy Day, RAF Global proudly introduces the RADIANCE SCHOLARSHIP—a 360-degree comprehensive support program designed to transform the lives of meritorious girls. Our initiative focuses on providing financial, material, technological, and emotional support to girls who are currently studying in Class V (2024-25) in schools of Ahmedabad, Rajkot, or Porbandar and come from economically marginalized backgrounds.
Radiance Scholarship is an effort to support girls with talent, spirit and drive by enriching their academic journeys and inspiring them to pursue the best career pathways possible, in keeping with their interest and aspiration.
In the long run, Radiance Scholars are envisioned to act as role models and inspire change in their communities and circles of influence
To learn more about the selection process and application, reach us at +91-79-4002 8654 | radiance.scholarship@rafglobal.org
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Thalassemia is one of the most threatening health challenges faced by India. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India has the largest number of children with Thalassemia Major in the world, about 1 to 1.5 lakh.
The only cure available for children with Thalassemia is bone marrow transplantation (BMT). However, BMT is difficult and not affordable by the parents of all the children who are affected. Hence repeated blood transfusions, followed by regular iron chelation therapy to remove the excessive iron overload, consequent to the multiple blood transfusions forms the mainstay of the treatment in India.
Public health is integral to RAF Global’s mandate of improving the quality of life in intervention countries across Asia and Africa. We adopt an integrated and multi-sectoral approach and work hand-in-hand with governments and a plethora of local partners to address some of India’s most challenging health issues. Preventing and addressing critical diseases at the lower strata of society constitutes one of our core outreach of health programme. RAF Global is playing a lead role in Thalassemia awareness and control in the districts of Junagadh and Porbandar in Gujarat. It has adopted a holistic approach comprising large-scale awareness and testing of thalassemia among college youth, mobilizing blood for patients, and further setting up Pediatric Thalassemia Wellness Centers in public hospitals. A 30-bed Centre has been established in the GMERS Hospital, Junagadh in collaboration with the Government of Gujarat. The state-of-the-art facility will administer adequate transfusion and therapies, and conduct wide-ranging counseling for thalassemic children along with their parents.
Discussions are in advanced stages to set up two more Centers in Porbandar (Gujarat) and Barmer (Rajasthan). The diagnostic infrastructure has been beefed up in Porbandar and Junagadh in collaboration with the Indian Red Cross Society. A concerted campaign has been designed to reach out to colleges and raise awareness about the disease, and further encourage students to undertake medical tests for identification of Thalassemia. A component of subsidy has been added by RAF Global to create incentive for the test among college going youth and this is pushing up the number of the tests, for the first time.
This comprehensive approach will not only aid in the prevention of birth of children affected with thalassemia, through well-planned screening programmes, information dissemination and awareness generation activities, but also administer adequate transfusion and therapy to those affected enabling them to lead a better life without a financial burden to their families.