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.
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