Empower a Life. Give the Gift of Clear Sight.

Summary

RestoringVision is a global non-profit organization whose mission is to empower lives by restoring the vision of millions of people in need. For the past 19 years, our work has focused on addressing the unmet need for eyeglasses (primarily readers) for people living in poverty who have vision impairments, live in communities lacking access to eyeglasses, have no available income to afford them, or both. The ripple effects of glasses are many including, increased productivity, sustained livelihoods and independence, and remaining a contributing member of society and the world.

In 2021, RestoringVision aimed to ensure that 100,000 impoverished Guatemalans received basic vision screenings and reading glasses to correct near vision loss. We launched this effort through our Global Access Program with our partner Food for the Poor in October through December and are pleased to report that we met our goal.

The Problem

Over 2.5 billion people worldwide have uncorrected vision impairments that can be solved with a pair of eyeglasses. Of that, 1.1 billion have presbyopia—age-related near vision loss—which can be corrected instantly with a pair of reading glasses. However, while reading glasses are a ubiquitous and easily accessible commodity in countries such as the U.S. and Europe, five hundred million people with presbyopia live in less developed countries and lack access to this life-changing tool. For these individuals, uncorrected vision impairment reduces productivity, safety, independence, educational opportunities, and general quality of life. Moreover, a highly skilled individual may be forced to exit their job early due to uncorrected vision impairment, especially those who relies on seeing clearly to do their work.

For the past 18 years, RestoringVision has worked to create equitable access to eyeglasses for the world's most impoverished people. We provide basic vision screenings and eyeglasses to people living on less than $2 a day at no cost to the beneficiary.

Progress Against Project Goal

We are happy to report that we have reached our fundraising goal of $100,000 for our 2021 project in Guatemala. Working with our long-term project partner, Food for the Poor,  our vision program provided vision screenings and reading glasses to 100,000 adults living in poverty in Guatemala. With better sight, they will now be able to remain productive, earn a living to support their families, stay independent, and contribute to their communities. Of note, the project was fully funded with the support of the $120 gift from our GlobalGiving donor and through other corporate contributions.

Gratitude

From all of us at RestoringVision, we thank our partners who donated on the GlobalGiving platform to support our work in Guatemala. We are honored to be among the non-profit organizations you chose to support in 2021.