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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