DFCC Bank and National Eye Bank carry out eye donation campaign
DFCC Bank became the first bank in Sri Lanka to partner with the National Eye Bank (NEB) in conducting a successful eye donation campaign, which resulted in 300 donors comprising of DFCC staff and the general public pledging their eyes to the cause of alleviating corneal blindness.
The National Eye Bank of Sri Lanka is affiliated to the Asia Cornea Society (ACS), the Association of Eye Banks of Asia (AEBA) and the Sightlife USA. NEB plays a major role in eliminating cornea blindness in Sri Lanka. NEB harvests more than 1,500 corneas per year and uses around 93 percent of them for transplants, providing corneas for Sri Lankans free-of-charge. With collection centers in Colombo, Kandy and Kurunegala, NEB staff is trained by the Singapore National Eye Centre.
Commenting on this pioneering initiative, DFCC CEO Lakshman Silva said: “We continually encourage all our stakeholders, including customers, employees and service providers to adopt socially responsible practices. We felt that by partnering with NEB on this initiative, DFCC Bank could set the ideal example of undertaking CSR projects that have a tangible impact. Corneal blindness is an urgent problem in Sri Lanka and I am pleased to say that we were able to secure 300 donors through this campaign. There can be no greater legacy than to save a life or eyesight. We are grateful to all the donors for their generous pledge.”