Retinoblastoma Awareness Reaches Grassroots with SCs Leading the Way

The Naraindas & Morbai Budhrani Eye Centre, a secondary centre in Balasore, organized a Retinoblastoma Awareness Program on May 12, 2026 as part of Whitathon 2026. The objective behind this initiative was to spread awareness about the importance of early detection and timely treatment of Retinoblastoma, an eye cancer found in children under the age of five, within rural communities. Four other LVPEI secondary centres also carried out similar awareness programs on the same day, thereby extending Whitathon’s grassroots reach and reinforcing the importance of awareness, early detection and timely intervention for Retinoblastoma.

The program in Balasore saw a total participation of 50 Anganwadi teachers, along with 15 patients and their attendants. Dr Jashaswari Nanda and Dr Aditya Rajan conducted an informative session on the early warning signs, and the treatment facilities available at L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) for Retinoblastoma. Participants were also informed about the services available through the Balasore secondary eye centre and its Vision Centres, to improve access to eye care in rural areas. The initiative also recognized the important role that Anganwadi workers play in community outreach initiatives and engaged them as key partners in spreading awareness about Retinoblastoma.

Ms Sanatani Sahoo from the National Society for Change for Childhood Cancer in India, Cankids, also stressed on the importance of awareness of Retinoblastoma and the need for early detection and timely treatment to improve outcomes for affected children. The program, organized under the guidance of Dr Devjyoti Tripathy, Faculty, Ocular Oncology, LVPEI Mithu Tulsi Chanrai (MTC) Campus, Bhubaneswar, and with the support of Mr Prabhudutta Naik (CEC Coordinator), Mr Ajay Kumar Sahoo (Centre Administrator), Mr Alok Kumar Swain (Secondary Centre Regional Head) and the LVPEI team, was carried out with enthusiasm and witnessed community participation, making it a meaningful and impactful awareness initiative.

As grassroots community connectors, Anganwadi workers are uniquely placed to carry the message of early detection into homes and villages that formal healthcare rarely reaches.