We recently reached $2 million worth of eyewear donated to various countries across the developing world through our Buy One, Give One social movement. Having partnered with Unite for Sight since 2009, the $2 million milestone is a big achievement for us and accounts for over 78,000 pairs of glasses. These glasses are all sent to the developing world. On September 16, 10,000 pairs of glasses were shipped to Ghana, tipping the total amount donated to over $2 million.
The Buy One, Give One Program
According to the World Health Organization, 215 million people are estimated to be visually impaired, with 90% affected living in low-income settings. However, 80% of all visual impairment can be prevented or cured [1]. Through the Buy One, Give One program, we donate a pair of glasses for each pair purchased to one of our charity partners. The glasses donated by us allows more than 78,000 people in the developing world have access to better vision. Our goal is that this will have a positive impact on everyday life in these countries. By working with a strong nonprofit partner, Unite for Sight, a genuine and tangible benefit is given to global communities. We are also the only partner of Unite for Site that donates both reading and distance lenses. This allows the program to benefit a larger group of people of different ages that are both short-sighted and long-sighted.
We’ve been working with Unite for Sight since 2009 but our philanthropic attitude is a core aspect of our business history. We have helped over 78,000 people all over the world and our latest shipment of glasses to Ghana was our largest to date. We hope that over the next 6 months we can hit our next milestone of $3million USD.
Jackie Tsui, Chief Social Officer at SmartBuyGlasses
Our company was founded on the principle of giving back. This social philanthropy is one of the core foundations of the business. The next target set will be $3 million and is expected to be reached within the next 6 months.
[1] World Health Organization (2014, August). Visual impairment and blindness. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/
