Improving
lives by improving sight
Bringing vision care programmes to Marawi
Essilor
Vision Foundation and the Integrated Philippine Association of Optometrists.
Inc. (IPAO) join hands to provide vision care solutions to Marawi’s communities
in need by 2020.
When
the armed conflict in Marawi erupted last year, the residents were forced to
leave their homes and livelihood to avoid being involved in the chaos; many of
them were wounded and lost loved ones during the escape. Now that the battle
has finally ceased, the citizens are faced with another concern: how will they
start their new lives when all that remains are rumbles and ashes?
Rehabilitating
Marawi will take months and maybe even years. In an effort to help restore the
once beautiful and diversified communities, Essilor Vision Foundation (EVF) and
The Integrated Philippine Association of Optometrists, Inc. (IPAO), created an
advocacy campaign entitled, Marawi 2020 with the aim of
bringing eye care to the people in need, and ultimately to give them hope for a
brighter, clearer tomorrow.
Marawi
2020 campaign is one of the many programs spearheaded by
EVF, the philanthropic arm of Essilor, world leader in ophthalmic optics. EVF is committed to eliminating poor
vision and its lifelong consequences, and to providing underprivileged people
the opportunity to live a better life through better sight. Last year, EVF ASEAN also launched the Eye Can Succeed campaign in the
Philippines, which helped over 10,000 senior high school students to perform
better at school by providing free eye check-ups and prescription glasses to
those in need. The foundation established in Singapore in 2014 also organizes
charity events in neighbouring ASEAN countries such as Indonesia, Cambodia,
Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam.
“In our own little way, we aim to help the
people of Marawi find hope despite everything that happened. Through this advocacy campaign, we wish to
boost people’s confidence in seeing life more clearly. Better vision in life
lets them know that it is never too late to start anew, to brush off the ashes
and hope for a brighter future,” shared Dr. Emelita Roleda, general manager of
Essilor Philippines.
With
the help of volunteer optometrists from IPAO, the campaign will provide all
residents with free eye checks and corrective glasses, if needed. EVF and IPAO
also aim to create sustainable access to vision care services by creating an
Eye & Vision Clinic at the Department of Health (DOH) Hospital in Marawi
City. Furthermore, the program aims to help local optometrists re-establish
their practices by providing them livelihood to recover from their losses.
For
more information about the Marawi 2020 advocacy campaign, visit Essilor’s website at www.essilor.com.ph, and follow @EssilorPH on Facebook, Twitter
and Instagram.
###
About
Essilor Vision Foundation
The
Essilor Vision Foundation (EVF) is committed to eliminating poor vision and its
lifelong consequences, and to providing underprivileged people the opportunity
to live a better life through better sight. Its outreach programs aim to bring
healthy vision to the most marginalized populations throughout the world,
focusing in particular on children and women.
EVF
in Singapore was established in 2014 with the objective to unify Essilor’s
philanthropic activities in Southeast Asia in order to help address the global
issue of uncorrected poor vision which affects over 2.5 billion people around
the world. EVF in Southeast Asia has since provided eye screenings to over
355,000 people and given more than 100,000 a pair of spectacles. EVF in
Singapore has collaborated with many like-minded organizations in Southeast
Asia and has the mandate to:
·
educate the general public about healthy vision and the
critical role it plays in improving the quality of life;
·
create strategic partnerships in order to ensure we reach
the right populations in need;
·
provide screenings, eye exams and spectacles to those who
cannot afford them otherwise;
·
support capacity-building initiatives to create
sustainable vision care infrastructure
For more information
visit: http://seasia.essilorvisionfoundation.org/
About
Essilor
The world's leading ophthalmic optics
company, Essilor designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of lenses to
improve and protect eyesight. Its mission is to improve lives by improving
sight. To support this mission, Essilor allocates more than €200 million to
research and innovation every year, in a commitment to continuously bring new,
more effective products to market. Its flagship brands are Varilux®, Crizal®,
Transitions®, EyezenTM, Xperio®, Foster Grant®, BolonTM and Costa®. It also
develops and markets equipment, instruments and services for eyecare
professionals. Essilor reported consolidated revenue of around €7.5 billion in
2017 and employs approximately 67,000 people worldwide. It markets its products
in more than 100 countries and has 34 plants, 481 prescription laboratories and
edging facilities, as well as 4 research and development centers around the
world. For more information, please visit www.essilor.com. The Essilor share
trades on the Euronext Paris market and is included in the Euro Stoxx 50 and
CAC 40 indices. Codes and symbols: ISIN: FR0000121667; Reuters: ESSI.PA;
Bloomberg: EI:FP. (press release)
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