Season of Giving: Standard Chartered Bank gives free eyeglasses to public school students and teachers
Standard Chartered Bank, in partnership with the Department of Education and Cataract Foundation of the Philippines Inc., distributed free eyeglasses to the teachers and students of Pateros Elementary School during the municipality’s Health Week celebration recently. Led by Standard Chartered Bank’s Chief Executive Officer and Head of Global Banking Philippines Lynette V. Ortiz, the sustainability initiative benefited more than 70 public school students and teachers who were diagnosed to have error of refraction during the eye and ear screening held in the school last November 15.
According to a report from World Blind Union, there are 285 million visually impaired worldwide. Of these, 39 million are blind and 256 million have low vision. But 80 percent of all visual impairment can be prevented or cured. Standard Chartered Bank’s Seeing is Believing program seeks to address the issue of avoidable blindness by funding sightrestoring initiatives in low and middle-income countries and eye health awareness.
Ortiz says, “Standard Chartered Bank recognises that visual impairment is a key issue in the markets where we are. We see how visual impairment can diminish an individual’s quality of life and how it impacts the people around him. Through the bank’s global programme Seeing is Believing, we are happy that we are able to help change people’s lives through the gift of sight.”
Department of Education Project Development Officer III Rolly Soriano says, “The DepEd family is very grateful to Standard Chartered Bank and Cataract Foundation for taking the initiative for this project. It really warms the heart to see the smiles of the teachers and children who were given free eyeglasses. We do believe that a bright sight helps to have a bright future.”
Since 2003, the oldest international bank in the Philippines has committed to raise USD100 million for Seeing is Believing through fundraising and the bank’s matching funds globally. For over a decade, Seeing is Believing has helped more than 122.9 million people across the globe through medical interventions, eye examinations, eye health education and training. In the Philippines, the bank has already donated USD1 million to support sight restoring activities in the country over three years. From the onset of the programme in November 2012, it has catered to over 1,127 children cataract operations, 76,368 adult cataract operations, 141,750 children screened for error of refraction, 52,456 spectacles distributed to children and 2619 health workers trained.